The Academy Life
by Arctic Canine
Summary: Before they saved the world, they learned the basics. Genin learned from their sensei, but they had to graduate first. Welcome to life at the Academy.
1. Chapter 1: First Year

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I do not own Naruto.

Note: In this fic, the Academy school year starts in September, and ends in June.

* * *

Giant leaves were hopping on a small volcano. Fish swam happily in the sky. A plate of onigiri danced across a field of flowers-

"Sakura, detention!" Iruka-sensei's voice snapped her out of her pleasant dream, his voice louder than even the shrill screech of the bell. There was a moment of disorientation before she got her bearings. She was in her second period class, only a few weeks after she started the Academy. She resisted the urge to groan as her sensei's words sank in. It would be her third detention this year.

As students stood up from their seats to make full use of the five-minute break between classes, Ino walked up to her desk.

"Why do you keep falling asleep in class, Sakura? I know you're smart. You should know that getting detention is very stupid. You have better things to do with your time than washing blackboards and scraping gum off of the bottoms of chairs."

Sakura scoffed.

"Ino, math class wastes my time more than detentions do. At least I can get some exercise in during detention."

Ino looked her over with piercing blue eyes, her hands on her hips. Suddenly, she grinned.

"I know what you need to do! You need to switch into another math class!"

"What? Why would I do that?"

"You're bored by the math classes, right? I bet a second-year class would be more interesting for you. I know both Shikamaru and Sasuke are taking the second-year class. You should go talk to Iruka-sensei. Maybe he'll move you into their class."

-X-

During her detention that day, she took the final exam for the first-year math class. The next day, she was placed in a second-year class.

The second-years didn't seem mean, but they didn't seem particularly friendly, either. She stood near the doorway nervously, unsure of where to sit. She had had her fair share of bullies. It would be best to sit near the back of the classroom so nobody could throw crumpled balls of paper at her during class. Fortunately, Shikamaru strolled in at this very moment. He took a look at her and said, "There's an empty seat next to mine." Sakura gratefully followed him, and took the seat to his right. The desk was at the back, too.

Perfect.

A second-year girl sat down to Shikamaru's left. Noticing the pink-haired girl, the brunette cheerfully introduced herself as Watanabe Tenten, and insisted that Sakura call her Tenten-san. Huh. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad, after all.

Her belief was supported when Akari-sensei introduced factorials. Finally, something presented a challenge!

By Thursday, she had more or less gotten used to the small change in her routine. Math was now her second-favorite class. As she packed up at the end of class, she noticed that Hyūga Neji had walked up to her. She looked up from her backpack with a cordial smile, keeping both hands on the black straps to stop any fidgeting. She couldn't show any weakness. Neji was the top student in the class, as well as a member of one of the most powerful clans in Konoha. He also showed disdain for every single person in his class. If she acted in a way that caused his disdain for her to turn into dislike, he could make her life very painful.

"Can I help you, Hyūga-senpai?"

Maybe if she just treated him respectfully, he would leave her alone… Maybe she should show a little backbone? There were still four minutes until the next period began, and the warning bell would sound three minutes later. She couldn't count on the bell to save her…

But all the planning in the world couldn't have prepared for the intensity of Neji's gaze. His milky white eyes seemed to stare through her, making her feel more vulnerable than a mouse trapped in the claws of a cat. Her mind, always racing, screeched to a halt.

"You may try to escape Fate, but it will always catch up to you," he finally stated with his usual monotone.

She should have just stayed silent. By Sage, she would have if she had been thinking straight.

"Fate's whisperings have not yet reached me."

Then she picked up her backpack and walked away.

Once her feet had taken her to the Tactics classroom, she resisted the urge to slam her head against the cream-colored wall. What was that saying? All good things must come to an end? Well, she had royally screwed up. At least she could count on her parents to pick out a good headstone for her.


	2. Chapter 2

It was 10 minutes into Tactics, and Neji hadn't hunted her down yet. So far, so good.

She straightened up as Shikamaru brought the mission scroll over. Each scroll contained a description of a scenario encountered by Konoha-nin in the past. She loved recreating mission scenarios in her mind, and creating plans that would lead her team to victory.

"You are a member of a four-man squad. It is currently nighttime, and you are on the edge of a forest. Your team consists of a taijutsu specialist, a ninjutsu specialist, a weapons specialist, and a medic-nin with sensory capabilities. Iwa-nin are in pursuit," Shikamaru read aloud.

Sakura furiously scribbled down notes as they hammered out a plan. Shikamaru was one of the smartest people she knew. His attention to detail helped him concoct plans that were unorthodox, yet effective. Things like the time of day, or the terrain, were usually overlooked by other Academy students, but Shikamaru took it all in, spinning an entire web of plans and backup plans that would lead to the fulfillment of the objective of the mission.

There were a few downsides to working with him. She was always the de facto scribe, as Shikamaru's handwriting was an utterly undecipherable scrawl of characters. There were also more than a few instances where Shikamaru thought so far ahead that she could barely keep up with his plans. Nonetheless, Sakura found that she rather enjoyed working with him. Shikamaru could always point out factors that she was ignoring, while she could determine which of his plans had the highest level of success. Sakura liked to think that some of his genius would eventually rub off on her, even though he still trounced her whenever they played Go at his house.

"It would be best to get the enemies away from the ground. The effectiveness of any earth jutsu would immediately be decreased."

She nodded thoughtfully. "If they're unused to navigating through the forest, taking the fight to the trees would definitely give our team an advantage, especially since it's nighttime."

They continued working out the details until they were both satisfied, at which point Sakura handed in their plan, and took another scroll. This scroll gave more details about the situation, testing their ability to adjust their plans on the fly.

She quickly scanned over the scroll as she walked back to her desk. After a few confrontations, it was known that the Iwa team consisted of a genjutsu specialist, a taijutsu specialist, a long-range weapons specialist, and a ninjutsu specialist, who also doubled as a medic.

She relayed these details to Shikamaru.

"If possible, we should take out their medic first. On the other hand, we could also injure one of the other members, and wait for the medic-nin to attend to the injured, at which point we could take them both out at the same time," she added.

"I don't think option two is a good idea. There's really no guarantee that the enemy's medic will stop to heal their injured. Iwa nin tend to place the mission first, above the lives of their teammates. Therefore, their medics usually heal after an encounter in combat, not during combat. If one of their members were injured, they would likely leave that member behind. We should stick with the first option. The medic might actually be the toughest to take down, since medics usually receive extra training in evading attacks."

Their plans were cut off by Iruka-sensei's announcement.

"We're switching to PA in three minutes!"

-X-

Sakura suppressed the urge to groan as she began organizing her papers. Shikamaru had no such compunctions.

"Why do we even have PA? That class is so troublesome."

PA, short for Physical Arts, was Sakura's most hated class. PA was equivalent to physical conditioning. It involved anything from push-ups to rope-climbing. She preferred Weaponry, or even Taijutsu. Those were the two other classes occasionally held during fourth period. Unfortunately, she had PA three days a week. Taijutsu was only taught one day a week, as was Weaponry.

A few minutes later, she was standing in the field next to the track. The wind was refreshing, carrying with it the scent of wildflowers. Perhaps this class wouldn't be so bad after all.

"You're going to run the 1500m today, so it's best to warm up thoroughly."

Her least favorite activity. Go figure.

Wallowing in self-pity wouldn't help her at this point, though. She went through the motions of the typical warm-up drills as her mind wandered.

It wasn't so much that she disliked the conditioning itself. If she wanted to be a kunoichi, she needed to have strength and stamina, and she performed the exercises willingly. It was just that she didn't seem to be improving. Every day, her classmates would be able to race through the obstacle course faster, or complete more push-ups, but she only ended up with sore muscles day in and day out. During the first couple weeks of school, she had used chakra to ease the soreness, but she had stopped after Mizuki-sensei had warned that it was dangerous.

Speaking of her PA teacher, Mizuki-sensei displayed blatant favoritism. He would always give the clan children extra help when they faltered, and handed out excessive praise when they performed well. Not to mention, he seemed to harbor an irrational resentment toward certain students. After suffering for so long, Sakura had assumed that she was one of those certain students. She wondered if he actually enjoyed seeing them suffer. There weren't many occasions when it happened, but she knew that Mizuki-sensei smiled much too widely when some of the civilian students were struggling with their exercises. All of these factors contributed to her dislike for the class.

She resolved to pace herself as she began the 1500m. She lagged far behind the majority of her classmates.

"Go Sakura! You're almost there!" Ino cheered from her position near the finish line.

Sakura made the final step, and slowed down to a walk. She glanced sideways at Ino, who was talking animatedly. She sighed. She had never been as good as Ino, and, at this rate, she never would be. Maybe Neji was right.

Sakura released a growl of frustration as Mizuki-sensei announced that they would continue with upper-body exercises. The only thing good about PA was that it was immediately followed by lunch.


	3. Chapter 3

Note: I've made a few minor changes to the first two chapters for consistency with dates. This chapter describes a Thursday in October.

* * *

"Naruto! DETENTION!"

As she walked through the door to the classroom, she was greeted with a colorful drawing of an orange dog. In fact, multiple crudely-drawn animals were splattered on the walls of the classroom. Naruto was standing on a chair near the back of the room, paintbrush in hand, putting the finishing touches on a purple turtle. He blatantly ignored Iruka-sensei's yells, and even laughed when his supplies were confiscated.

"Now everybody can see my genius!" Naruto cried.

After checking her seat for superglue, Sakura sat down, observing the paintings. She could count at least 5 different animals on one wall alone. There were even doodles on the blackboard, though Naruto had thoughtfully drawn those in chalk. How had he been able to do all this during a mere 30-minute lunch break?

She looked around. Ino was struggling not to laugh at the drawings. Chōji was still munching on his chips. Kiba was nowhere in sight. He had probably left during lunch to play with Akamaru. Just a normal day.

She pulled a book out of her bag, and read about the Second Shinobi World War, tuning out the chaos around her. The Sannin made their claim to fame during their battle with Hanzō, the leader of Amegakure. An entire platoon of Konoha shinobi had entered the battle. Only three made it out alive: Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru. These stories of legends were her inspiration. Maybe, one day, she could be like them.

What was she thinking? She was only an Academy student. She tucked her aspirations into the back of her mind, thinking of the thousands who hadn't returned. Sometimes, she would wonder about the cruelty of humans, but such thoughts would never last long. She was training to become a shinobi, after all. Her loyalty was to her village, not her morals. Someday, she would need to- Abruptly, she shook her head to rid herself of this dark train of thought.

Ino was giving her a worried glance, and she assuaged her blonde friend by flashing a quick smile. Sakura turned her attention to the blackboard. Class was about to start.

Having given Naruto an earful, Iruka-sensei grabbed the blackboard eraser, aiming to eradicate the chalk drawings. He had a lesson to teach, after all.

"Naruto! DETENTION TOMORROW!"

Mizuki-sensei took over for the rest of the class while Iruka-sensei left to remove the superglued eraser from his hand.

-X-

Iruka-sensei's patience was short during Science. Several pieces of chalk were broken as he attempted to construct a chart of the various blood cells. To his credit, signs of his frustration were limited. He still kept a smile on his face, and he explained the function of each cell thoroughly. For her part, Sakura thought it was a wonder that he had managed to put up with Naruto's antics for so long. She certainly wouldn't have been able to describe the three different types of white blood cells if she were in his position.

Amidst the distracting illustrations on the walls, Sakura thought she did a pretty good job of paying attention. She might not need to distinguish between lymphocytes and monocytes during missions, but she would need to know the different types of blood pills and their uses. A solid background in the sciences was still essential.

They managed to cover all the material five minutes before the bell. She got up and walked over to Shikamaru's desk.

"I'm looking for that rematch tomorrow, Shikamaru."

"We'll head to my place right after school. Chōji's coming, too. You can bring Ino if you want."

"Sure. Sounds like a party."

She wove her way through the groups of chatting students, back to her desk. Chakra Studies was next, so she pulled out her notes on the leaf exercise. The exercise was initially developed to improve students' concentration, but it could also be used to improve chakra control. Traditionally, the leaf would be placed on a student's forehead. By steadily outputting chakra to the forehead, the leaf would remain stuck to the student. More advanced versions of this exercise involved moving while maintaining contact with the leaf, or attaching more leaves.

Drawing chakra out involved reaching deep. To this end, Iruka-sensei had suggested meditation as a method for getting in tune with one's chakra. Her own chakra felt like a creek. It wound its way through her, filling her with energy.

As the bell rang, her classmates settled back into their seats.

Iruka-sensei's word's floated over the excited chatter of his students as he handed out the leaves.

"Remember, keep track of your leaf. If your leaf's not in the garbage can by the end of the class, you're staying after to help clean up the classroom. If you have trouble with the exercise, raise your hand. I'll try to get to as many people as I can."

This would be the first chakra exercise they performed this year. For a month, Iruka-sensei had been going over the basics of chakra. Sakura was confident on the theory, but the application worried her. If she wasn't able to complete this exercise, would she be kicked out of the Academy? What would Ino think of her if she failed to complete such a simple exercise? What about her parents? How would she tell them she was a failure as a ninja? Thoughts, fears, and questions bounced around her head. The leaf wobbled slightly, taunting her, laughing at her. _What are you, a coward? You're afraid of a leaf! Pathetic._

Sakura scowled, and snatched it up by the stem. By Sage, if she was going to become a shinobi, she couldn't let a leaf scare her. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down, feeling for that familiar energy inside her. Carefully placing the leaf on her forehead, she sent a stream of her chakra to the leaf's location. She could feel its waxy covering. Slowly, she removed her hand. There was no flutter of green. The leaf was still on her forehead. She did it!

She jumped out of her seat and did a small victory jig. Realizing that she was still in the classroom, she looked around with embarrassment. Fortunately, everyone around her was preoccupied. Everyone, that is, except for Ino, who had a wide grin on her face. Sakura was going to be teased mercilessly for this, she was sure of it. The leaf remained on her forehead for the rest of the class.


	4. Chapter 4

A big thank you to all my reviewers. I hope you'll enjoy the rest of the story.

Homework will take up the majority of my time, but I'm planning on updating at least once a week.

To _SirByzantine_ : The story is going to become an AU, stretching until at least the end of Sakura's first year in the Academy. Chapters will start to grow in length as the story advances.

* * *

"Your progress with the leaf exercise is impressive, Sakura-san," Iruka-sensei commented.

Sakura beamed at the praise.

"I would suggest practicing with heavier objects, like a folded piece of paper, to get a feel for the amount of chakra needed to stick to objects of different weights. After you've mastered that, you could repeat the exercise with multiple leaves."

"If I want to try focusing my chakra in other spots, where would you recommend I start?"

"Start with channeling chakra to your hands. That's often the easiest. Then, you can move on to the arms."

"Thank you for your help, Iruka-sensei!"

She was the only student left in the classroom. The rest of her peers had left as soon as the bell went off. It was Thursday… She still had to go to kunoichi class. Boys didn't have to go! So unfair.

A flash of yellow caught her eye. She was about to ask Ino why she had come back, but she realized it was Naruto. As he walked past her to start on the back wall, she saw a few yellow sponges in the bucket he was carrying. He gave the wall a sad glance before he started scrubbing furiously.

Sighing, Sakura walked up beside him. He looked at her with shock as she grabbed a sponge of her own, and gently wiped the shell off of the turtle.

"You don't need to press that hard. The paint is fresh, so it'll come off easily."

"Thanks, Sakura-san," Naruto mumbled to the wall as he wiped off two of the turtle's legs.

"It's not a big deal, Naruto-san. I can only stay for 10 minutes anyways."

By the time Sakura left, the back wall was devoid of paint.

-X-

"It's the first time you've been this late, Sakura."

"I'm right on time," she retorted.

"Exactly. You're always early," Ino pointed out.

"I'm going to Shikamaru's place tomorrow. Chōji's going to be there too. Do you want to come?"

Ino gave her an unimpressed look, but dropped the topic.

"Yeah. Sure. I'll bring some of my mom's onigiri."

"Great!"

The devious smile on Ino's face told her that she wasn't going to get away from this unscathed.

"I think you should become a professional dancer, Forehead. That performance last class was quite entertaining."

Her cheeks flushed.

Ino snorted with laughter. "Your face! Ha! It's practically redder than your hair!"

"But, you know," Ino continued more calmly, "that was pretty impressive. I can't believe you got it to stick on your first try. Mine fell at least five times before I figured it out. How'd you do it so fast?"

Before she could reply, Suzume-sensei stepped up to the front.

"Class, we will be learning about the traditional tea ceremony today. The tea ceremony is ..."

Sakura listened with half an ear as Suzume-sensei expounded on the importance of the ceremony. She looked to her far right. There was Ami, surrounded by her gang of bullies. Even before she started attending the Academy, Ami had mocked her appearance. It wasn't until she met Ino that she started standing up for herself.

In September, when Ino was out sick, Ami had taken the chance to strike again during kunoichi class. Taunts had escalated into screaming, and finally a fistfight. Sakura had gotten chewed out by Suzume-sensei, but Ami had never bothered her again.

"Gatherings fall into two categories: chaji and chakai."

At her left, Hinata was listening attentively. Her eyes marked her as a member of the Hyūga clan, and Sakura had recently found out that she was also Neji's cousin. The Byakugan-wielder possessed a grace that Sakura envied. Hinata never moved. She flowed from place to place.

"A chaji is more formal, and requires much preparation."

Then there was Ino. Her best friend, the person who had saved her from her bullies. The person who had given her the ribbon she now wore in her hair. It was Ino who had taught her how to brush off insults. Ino who knew the meaning of each flower.

"During a chakai, sweets may be provided to guests."

Ino was also the heiress to the Yamanaka clan. Come to think of it, Hinata was the heiress to the Hyūga clan. In fact, there were quite a few clan heirs in her Academy class. Shikamaru and Chōji were each the heirs of their respective clans. Shino was heir to the noble Aburame clan. Sasuke and Kiba, though not heirs, were both members of their clan's head families.

Sakura puzzled over this for a while. Ino, Shikamaru, and Chōji being born around the same time wasn't surprising. The Ino-Shika-Chō trio was widely feared. It wasn't a stretch that the three clan heads would also want their heirs to be close in age, so they could be placed on the same genin team. That explanation didn't account for the other heirs, though. Maybe the clan heads had made some sort of agreement? Sakura doubted the heads would all cooperate so easily. She would need to do more research.

-X-

The house was silent when she entered. She slipped off her shoes, then padded upstairs to her room. She rifled through her backpack, taking out everything she needed for her homework. She was describing the differences between red and white blood cells when her gut instinct told her something was up.

She got up and looked around the room. Takeshi-kun was missing. She had placed him on the center of her bed, and she was sure he had been there when she walked in. Smiling, she ran downstairs.

"Dad!"

Her father laughed as she tackled him with a hug.

"I can't believe you managed to sneak into my room again."

"Well, I need some way to practice my stealth. Takeshi-kun's on the kitchen counter."

She sprang into the kitchen and grabbed the stuffed dog.

"Tell me about your mission Dad!"

"Well, this guy was the secretary..."

-X-

After dinner, Sakura headed to the library. She returned her book on the Second Shinobi World War, and started walking towards the history section. She herself was born after the Third Shinobi World War. That meant most of her classmates were also born around that time. Her search would start in that section.

She stopped. She backtracked. Her parents had told her that they had put off having a baby because of the Third War. It was the war. No parent wanted their children to live through a war, especially shinobi parents, whose children would likely be sent on dangerous missions. The number of births had gone down during the Third War. After the end of the war, with a relatively safer environment for children, there was a baby boom, at least until the Kyūbi attack. Well, that explained it.

Satisfied with her deductions, Sakura decided to stay at the library to finish her homework. Before she left, she completed her customary scan of the shelves, looking for any books that might interest her. A splash of blue caught her attention. There was no title on the spine. She grabbed it from the shelf and flipped it open. _Things You Should Know Before Becoming a Shinobi_. Intrigued, she thumbed through the book.

 _For shinobi, balance is the key. Do not give in to overtraining. You will destroy your body. Do not slack off. You will not improve… Take advantage of any resource that could aid you… If you are learning a new skill, learn it correctly the first time around… There is no place for ego on a mission… The element of surprise… Strive for efficiency… Half of the battle is in your mind… There are no heroes…_

That night, she hugged Takeshi-kun to her chest as she dozed off. A blue book sat innocently on her nightstand.


	5. Chapter 5

Sakura wrapped up her pre-breakfast routine, making a few final adjustments to the red ribbon in her hair. She double-checked her bag, making sure her homework and her books were all inside. Satisfied, she headed downstairs. A breakfast of rice, miso soup, and fish prepared her for the day. She met up with Ino in front of the Yamanaka flower shop. The two friends headed to the Academy together, passing throngs of civilians and shinobi preparing for the new day.

Students were already filling in the seats of the first-year classroom, with groups clustering around the room. The two friends situated themselves near the back of the room, where Shikamaru was napping beside a perpetually chip-munching Chōji.

There were a few loners here and there. Naruto was sulking quietly near a window seat. He was usually late to class, but he wouldn't risk yet another detention. Sasuke was sitting at a desk by himself, staring straight ahead, as if he was above the inconsequential activities of his peers. Once in a while, a few girls would giggle and glance in his direction.

"So here's the plan," Ino began. "After school today, we're going to stop at my place first to pick up some onigiri. Then, we're going to go to Shikamaru's house. Sakura, you and Shikamaru can play your boring games-"

"They're not boring!" Sakura interjected.

"Fine. Board games. Then, we can get to the fun stuff. We'll visit the deer, have our monthly shuriken-throwing contest, go around town for the latest gossip, and get some snacks from the food stalls. All in agreement?"

Sakura and Chōji nodded. Shikamaru shrugged.

"It's decided!"

The bell rang, and Iruka-sensei called the class to order. The students returned to their seats, and sat quietly as he read the morning announcements. Soon, the first class of the day began.

"Today, we are going to learn about the relationship between Konohagakure and the Land of Fire. This information will be on the unit test next Thursday."

Ino, sitting to Sakura's left, gave an exaggerated gasp. She laughed quietly at her friend's theatrics, while the rest of her classmates complained about the unfairness of such a test.

"But Konohagakure and the Land of Fire are the same thing!" a boy cried out.

Iruka-sensei sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"That is one of the reasons we are going to cover this in class. You are going to become shinobi, and shinobi need to stay informed."

General knowledge of the shinobi world would help Konoha genin appear more professional. The village had a reputation to maintain, after all. Konoha couldn't be known as the village of uneducated brats. Sakura rifled through her backpack for a notebook and pencil.

Iruka cleared his throat, writing the words "Land of Fire" and "Konohagakure" in large print on the blackboard.

"Now, who can tell me one defining characteristic of either of these places?"

He scanned the room for a student who wasn't paying attention.

"Ah, Yuna-san! Perhaps you could tell us the answer!"

Yuna jumped slightly in her seat, startled. She had been preoccupied with looking at Sasuke, and there was faint snickering as she tried to figure out what the question was. One of her friends gestured towards the board, aiming to end her embarrassment.

"Konohagakure is a hidden village," she finally responded.

Iruka-sensei nodded in response, now assured that Yuna would be paying attention for the next 10 minutes. He then went on to explain many of the differences between Konoha and the Land of Fire.

Konoha was one of the five great ninja villages. It housed a large civilian population that grew food and produced goods to support the shinobi. In return, the shinobi provided protection for the civilians.

"Who is the current Hokage, Kiba-san?"

"The Sandaime, Sarutobi Hiruzen."

The Hokage was the leader of the village, though major decisions still had to be approved by the village council, composed of clan heads and the elders of the village. The entire village council was rarely called for minor decisions. In fact, it usually convened only twice a year during peacetime, discussing matters such as the village's budget. Many times, sections of the council would meet to discuss specific problems.

Most problems fell into one of two categories. Matters regarding civilians were handled by the civilian council. The civilian council was composed of a few elders, as well as the heads of civilian clans. Problems involving shinobi were managed by the Hokage and the heads of the shinobi clans.

Many tasks didn't require a council meeting. The Hokage alone was responsible for assigning missions to shinobi, though they would sometimes be aided by their most trusted assistant. The Anbu Commander, as well as the head of T&I, reported directly to the Hokage. Furthermore, the Hokage was responsible for handling the village's relationships with other villages. This included both peace treaties and trade agreements.

"Chōji-san, what's the title given to the leader of the Land of Fire?"

"The leader is called a daimyō."

The Land of Fire was very different. The country housed many different villages, with most of its inhabitants being civilians. The Land of Fire was ruled by the Fire Daimyō, who convened with his court on important matters.

At this point, Iruka-sensei pointed out the location of Konoha within the Land of Fire, and emphasized that the two were not the same.

When Konoha was first founded, the Shodaime had made an informal agreement with the daimyō. The daimyō would recognize the independence of the village, and would provide supplies to help the it get on its feet. In return, the residents of the Land of Fire could hire Konoha shinobi at reduced rates, and could count on the protection of shinobi during times of war. This agreement had not been altered since the founding of Konohagakure, for both parties knew that a civil war would be disastrous.

"And that is how Konohagakure and the Land of Fire developed their present-day relationship," Iruka-sensei concluded.

He scanned the room. Surprisingly, Shikamaru wasn't napping. The Nara usually never put effort into any class other than Tactics. Perhaps he was trying to avoid detention today.

"Make sure to review your notes. Again, the test will be next Thursday. We're done for this class."

That meant she had a few minutes to review her math homework. The whole numbers included 0, while the natural numbers didn't. The integers had negatives. Negatives. Neji.

She raced over to Shikamaru's seat. The Nara was napping, or at least pretending to nap, so Sakura helpfully shook him awake.

"Shikamaru! You're smart! Come up with a plan to stop Neji from killing me! PLEASE!"

"Alright woman, I'm awake, stop shaking me."

"Oh, sorry." Sakura sheepishly released her hold on his shoulders.

"You've gotten yourself in a troublesome situation. There's only one thing to do."

Sakura waited eagerly for his plan.

"Nothing."

She blinked.

"How is doing nothing supposed to help?"

"Well, there's really no way for you to avoid Neji if he truly wanted to track you down. In my opinion, you're overreacting. He probably didn't take your words that seriously. If he didn't forget, then pretend you didn't say anything, and he'll probably treat you no differently than the rest of his classmates."

"Thank you Shikamaru! You're a genius!"

Ino, who had taken in the entire conversation with her gossip ears, immediately started interrogating her.

"So, what'd you say to Neji that's got you so worried?"

"I kind of questioned his beliefs about fate. But, since I've got a Shikamaru plan, I'm sure everything will end up fine."

-X-

Natural numbers, whole numbers, integers, rational numbers, irrational numbers, real numbers. Akari-sensei had also touched on imaginary numbers. How could numbers exist if they were "imaginary"?

Placating herself with the knowledge that she could find the answer in the library, she pulled the blue book from her bag and began reading. If she blocked out all distractions, she could probably get through a good chunk of the first chapter before the bell rang.

Neji was walking towards her. She tried to calm herself down. Neji wasn't trying to talk to her, he was just walking towards the door. He walked past the door. She kept her cool. So he was walking towards the pencil sharpener. No big deal.

Now he was standing in front of her. _Before becoming a shinobi, you should..._ When she couldn't ignore his presence any longer, she looked up.

"Yes, Hyūga-senpai?"

His eyes seemed to be drilling holes into her.

There were a few seconds of silence before he spoke.

"Your words have intrigued me, but you have no bite to back up your bark. I've done my research. Your parents are shinobi, but you're from a no-name clan, a clan without a single technique to its name. You're barely above the level of a civilian, and your performance in the Academy shows it. Below the 25th percentile in PA. You're pathetic."

"There's such a thing as improvement, Hyūga." She imagined his head bursting into flames under the pressure of her gaze.

Neji's glare intensified in response.

"I wasn't finished. Your scores in your other classes are acceptable. Those scores are the only reason I bothered talking to you today."

She kept her mouth shut. What was he getting at?

"If, at the end of this Academy year, you're one of the top three students in your class, we'll spar at Training Ground 5. The spar will take place at 4 in the afternoon, on the day after the rankings come out. An impartial Academy instructor will supervise. If you impress me, I'll accept that your words have some truth. If, however, you fail to achieve this, you'll give me a personal apology."

She wanted nothing more than to wipe that arrogant smirk off his face, but there was no way she was going to walk into this without one crucial piece of information.

"Oh, what type of spar is it going to be? I don't think it would be fair if it was taijutsu-only."

He seemed taken aback, if for just a moment, but quickly regained his composure.

"Only rules are no killing or long-term injury. A long-term injury is any injury that might take over a week to heal with the assistance of a medic-nin. As a gentleman, I'll ensure that you receive adequate medical care. You'll need it."

That little-. The arrogance!

She stood up and raised her right hand in the Seal of Confrontation, watching as Neji did the same.

No words needed to be said.

Her classmates, who had been watching the spectacle silently, suddenly began whispering animatedly to each other. Bets were already being made.

Shikamaru sighed. Troublesome.


	6. Chapter 6

"I'm guessing there's no way for me to convince you to call off this whole thing?"

"We made the seal, Shikamaru. I'm not going back on my word," she replied, not bothering to lift her eyes from the scroll she was reading.

"Fine. Just tone down the killing intent. You're scaring the civilians."

She looked up. Sure enough, most of the civilians had situated themselves in a corner, as far away from her as possible. Even Iruka-sensei was giving her a worried glance.

She attempted to purge all thoughts of violence from her mind. Concentrate on the breath. In, out, in, out.

"Much better."

"Sorry about that. He just makes me so mad that I keep thinking about beating him into the ground," she growled out, clenching her hands into fists.

"Well, there's a fat chance of that happening."

She gave him a glance of disbelief.

"The Hyūga clan is known for its deadly taijutsu style. If you got close enough to him to beat him into the ground, you would leave yourself wide open for his Gentle Fist."

She relaxed. He wasn't doubting her. He was just strategizing.

"So, what do you think I should do?"

"I think you should focus on getting to the top of our class first. He said he wouldn't face you if you weren't in the top three. As of right now, your PA score is dragging down your ranking. If you improve your PA score and keep up your performance in the other subjects, you should definitely make it to the top three by the end of the year."

She nodded.

"I'm going to have to work on my Taijutsu and Weaponry scores, too. I'll need to train a lot to beat Neji, anyways."

"Right. Neji already has a lot of advantages. He's bigger and stronger. He's a second-year. Not to mention, he's also the top student of his class. Meet me at the library tomorrow, and we'll work out the details. If you're going to train, you're going to train smart."

-X-

By lunch, everyone in the school knew of the challenge.

"Did you hear? A first-year's going to challenge the Hyūga prodigy!"

"You mean Hyūga Neji? That guy's a genius. Even fourth-years are afraid to get on his bad side. Who's the idiot who decided to challenge him?"

"Some girl with pink hair."

"Pink hair? What a weirdo. Is it part of a kekkai genkai?"

"I don't think so. She's not from a shinobi clan."

"Really? She's going to be screwed! Wait, is the betting ring up?"

"Yeah, it went up as soon as the challenge was made. But I heard they're not going to hold the match until next June. Hyūga said that her ranking had to be in the top three at the end of the school year if she wanted to fight him."

"Really. She's probably not even going to rank that high. There are a bunch of clan kids in her year, right? Lots of competition."

"My thoughts exactly. I already bet 100 ryo that the girl's not even going to qualify for a match."

"Easy money! Count me in."

-X-

It was the fifth class of the day. Sakura found Language Arts as boring as first-year Math, but the class couldn't be skipped. She contented herself with reading while Iruka-sensei reviewed several katakana characters.

 _For shinobi, balance is the key. Do not give in to overtraining. You will destroy your body. Do not slack off. You will not improve. Many shinobi, especially taijutsu specialists, fall into the trap of overtraining. Muscles will only grow stronger if they rebuild after training. Therefore, adequate rest is necessary for efficient training. Unfortunately, there is no formula to determine how much rest is needed for a specific amount of training. Each person is different, and experimentation is required to find the best ratio of training to rest. Nonetheless, I do have a few tips regarding this topic, many of which I have concluded from personal experience._

 _Always warm up before training. Many shinobi find this a hassle, but this is a key step in preventing injury._

 _Always cool down after training. This ensures that you will not be dizzy afterwards._

 _Perform exercises with perfect form. Improper form can also lead to injury. If an exercise cannot be completed with perfect form, you have reached your limit._

 _Introduce variety. On the battlefield, one will not be performing pull-ups with perfect form. One may, instead, be attempting to scale a wall while carrying an injured comrade. Introduce variety into training to prepare for such scenarios, although one should still take care to avoid injury._

 _Use chakra consciously. Shinobi can use chakra. That is what separates them from other warriors. However, one must be careful of their chakra usage during training. If one gets into the habit of using chakra during purely physical training, they may find that they cannot stop this chakra usage on the battlefield. In this scenario, even taijutsu will suck them dry of chakra. That being said, chakra can aid recovery after an exhausting training session. If one directs their chakra to their muscles immediately after a training session, perhaps as part of a cool down routine, the recovery time can be shortened._

 _Muscle fibers can be rebuilt with the help of advanced medical ninjutsu. If a shinobi has access to such ninjutsu, the recovery period can be shortened drastically._

 _Eat properly. The body needs nutrients to grow stronger._

 _Sleep properly. Both the body and the mind are refreshed by sleep._

 _This is not an excuse to slack off. If a shinobi does not train, their muscles will grow weaker. Skills may become forgotten._

So, using chakra to ease soreness wasn't dangerous after all. She would take Mizuki-sensei's advice with a grain of salt in the future. Scrunching her forehead in concentration, she began formulating the outlines of a training plan.

-X-

"We're continuing the leaf exercise today. Raise your hand if you have trouble, and I'll help as many people as I can. Remember, your leaf is going into the trash can after class. Try not to damage your leaf, but if you need a new one, come up to my desk."

After Iruka-sensei had finished passing out the leaves, Sakura immediately went to his desk to get another one.

She held her hands in front of her, palms facing the ceiling. Each palm held a single leaf. She could feel the chakra in her hand, humming merrily as it moved along.

She closed her eyes. Breathe in. Breathe out. She would need to send two streams of chakra this time. First the left. Then the right.

She turned her hands over, palms facing the ground. Both leaves stayed stuck to her palms. She allowed herself a small smile, then repeated the exercise.

This time, she didn't bother closing her eyes.

Feeling adventurous, she folded up a sheet of paper and tried to stick it to her forehead. It bounced off the bridge of her nose, and fell.

What was the problem? Maybe she needed more chakra. This time, instead of sticking to her forehead, the paper was propelled away from her.

Definitely too much chakra. It took four more tries before she found the right balance.

The rest of the class passed in a blur as she picked different objects to practice with. Pencils stuck to the tip of her nose. Erasers stuck to her elbow. Three leaves on the back of her hand.

-X-

"I bet you could make a good living as an entertainer, Forehead. What with all the dancing you did yesterday, and now this!" Ino exclaimed.

Sakura was currently juggling three leaves. Each time she threw a leaf into the air, she did so by expelling chakra from her hand. Each time she caught a leaf, a stream of chakra to her hand would ensure that it didn't fly off. The unpredictable movement of the leaves kept her arms in constant motion.

"Using chakra will help me increase my chakra capacity. I need more chakra if I'm going to fight-"

"You've been worrying about Neji all day long, Forehead!"

Beside them, Chōji was keeping a careful watch on the onigiri that Shikamaru was transporting.

"Well, he did challenge me today."

"No arguments! I can't believe you agreed to trust Shikamaru with the task of making a training plan. I'm your best friend, hello!"

Sakura shot Shikamaru a glance. He responded with a shrug.

Right. It was impossible to keep anything from Ino.

The blonde took an authoritative stance, her hands on her hips.

"If you're really going through with this, we're all going to help."

"Really?"

"Of course."

"But, you're clan heirs. If you're helping me, then-"

"Stop right there, Forehead! We're not doing this because of our clans. We're doing it because we're your friends. I don't think Neji's goal is to get politics involved, anyways. We should be fine. In fact, once we drop off this onigiri at Shikamaru's place, we should all go to the library. I bet we can find lots of training techniques there."

"What about Chōji and Shikamaru? It wouldn't be fair to them. They came to have a good time, not to do research."

"Actually," Chōji interjected, "we wouldn't mind coming to help. Shikamaru already told me about this, so I decided I would help you make a meal plan. It's better to get started now, anyways."

Sakura gave them a wobbly smile. "Thanks, guys. This means a lot to me."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"


	7. Chapter 7

In the library, the group of four stood next to a sturdy wooden table. It was at this table where the information from their research would be incorporated into a draft for Sakura's training regimen. Once all the information was gathered, they would look through it once more, eliminating inefficiencies, until only a solid final plan remained.

"Best case scenario, I'll be strong enough to defeat Neji come June. But, given my current condition, I don't think that's feasible."

"You could go for speed and surprise instead of strength," Ino suggested. "Hit him with your best technique right off the bat, and take him out as fast as possible."

"That is an option, but it's very risky. I'll lose my advantage if my first attack doesn't work. Also, there's one more thing we need to keep in mind. He never said that I had to defeat him. He only said I have to impress him."

"So you just have to show off your techniques, right?"

"It's slightly more complicated than that. I'm still going to have to last long enough to show off some of my best techniques. Considering that he's the top of his class, I think his standards are going to be pretty high, too. But, this does give me a better chance to prove him wrong."

"As of right now, you don't know any special techniques, do you?" Chōji asked.

"You're right, I don't. My plan is to choose a few techniques that I can master, and not to spread myself too thin."

"Don't get too far ahead of yourself, Sakura. You still need to rank in the top three before the spar," Shikamaru reminded her.

"Right. I've decided I'll make physical conditioning a priority, at least right now. It will help boost my PA scores, and give me the stamina I need for the spar."

Sakura fell quiet for a moment, deep in thought. When she looked up, determination had hardened her eyes.

"Here's what we're going to do. Chōji, I'll definitely need a good meal plan. Simple recipes, please. Also, a list of all the ingredients I'll need."

Chōji nodded, and left to find a suitable cookbook.

"Ino, you're in charge of physical conditioning. Find a reasonable regimen that I can fit into my schedule. Stamina and speed are my priorities. If you find a good taijutsu style that I can learn, that'll be good, too."

Ino gave her a salute before leaving to begin her own task.

"Shikamaru. You're in charge of finding a few techniques that I can master. My biggest advantage should be in chakra control, so see if you can find any techniques that build on that advantage."

"If you're thinking of learning jutsu, you'll also need a decent chakra capacity."

"I know. My chakra capacity should increase as I practice the jutsu, so I'm not going to worry that much about it."

"I hope you know what you're getting yourself into. This is going to require a lot of time and dedication."

Sakura knew what he was hinting at.

"This is more than winning a bet. When I entered the Academy, I did so with the goal of becoming a strong and useful shinobi. Even if I lose, the training will definitely be of use when I become a genin."

"Good. And what will you be researching?"

"I'll be studying up on the Hyūga clan. I know most clan information is classified, but even a little more background would be useful."

Satisfied with her response, Shikamaru ambled off to his task.

-X-

Chōji put two books on the table. "This is the only cookbook you'll ever need!" he proclaimed, holding up a thick green hardcover. "It contains over 50 recipes, and each of those recipes uses five or less ingredients. I've already picked out the recipes whose ingredients overlap, and made a weekly shopping list," he continued, gesturing to a piece of paper on the table.

"And this," he said, holding up the smaller book, "is going to teach you all you need about nutrition. What you need to eat to keep your body in top condition, what's needed for muscle growth, what enhances chakra generation, it's all in here! I've added some of these foods to your shopping list, as well."

"That's great, Chōji! Thanks a lot!"

"No problem. I'm going to put together an actual meal plan, so you'll know what to eat for every meal. I recommend batch cooking all the meals the week before to save time. Also, you should go to Hearty Produce for your grocery shopping. They offer a 7% discount for Academy students."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Sakura looked through the grocery list while Chōji was busy writing. She found a reasonable shopping list with extra tips for picking out fresh produce. Well, no one could beat the Akimichi when it came to food.

-X-

"Forehead, you better win this bet, because I've just spent over an hour making this training plan for you."

"I'll make sure to keep that in mind," Sakura replied as she scanned the schedule that Ino had laid out for her.

Skill training in taijutsu or weaponry would be performed in the mornings, before school. She would practice her katas and improve her throwing technique when her mind was fresh and her concentration was at its max. Physical conditioning would take place after school. Saturday was off, and most of the other days consisted of training that would slowly build up her base level of stamina and strength. A couple days were dedicated to hard training that would push her to her limits. Ino had included a longer warm-up those days to prevent injury.

Sakura frowned. "You should feel like you're going to die of exhaustion on these days, Forehead," she read aloud. Suddenly, her eyes widened. "Ino, I can't do that many suicide sprints!"

"Hey, you were the one who asked for stamina and speed."

Ino ignored Sakura's murderous glare and tossed a book at her.

"That'll tell you how to get rid of your soreness with your chakra. It looks complicated, but you should have the control to do it."

Sakura flipped through the pages with interest. There were a few complex diagrams, but the instructions seemed easy to follow.

"I have one more thing for you."

The blonde placed a video cassette on the table.

"This will teach you the forms and drills for a taijutsu style. Its focus is on efficiency. I think you'll like it."

Sakura looked over the cassette. "Do you think that I could fit extra taijutsu sparring in here?"

"Well, if you did it on your easy days, you should be fine." Ino shot her a knowing look. "Do you have a sparring partner in mind?"

"I was wondering if you had time after school on Mondays."

Ino grinned. "I won't go easy on you. Prepare to eat dirt, Forehead."

-X-

"So you're saying that if I master these three jutsu, I'll be able to win the bet?"

"It's not a guarantee, but it's one of the best choices you have. Genjutsu are out of the question, since the Byakugan can foil any genjutsu that you would be able to learn right now. You could try mastering a weapon and using it against him, but your options are limited. At close range, he'll still be faster than you. If you decide to use a long-range weapon, it's likely that he has the speed to avoid your attacks."

Shikamaru paused to let her digest the information, then barreled on.

"The Byakugan can also see any traps that you might try to spring. Ninjutsu and fūinjutsu are the only two options that I can see working for you, but fūinjutsu has a steep learning curve. Therefore, ninjutsu is the most feasible. These three ninjutsu will get you started in the right direction. I have a feeling that higher-ranked ninjutsu aren't going to be available to Academy students, anyways. For more options, you could try learning jutsu that correspond to your elemental affinity. You can find chakra paper at almost any shinobi supply store, and you could probably convince your parents to either teach you a jutsu or borrow a jutsu scroll from the library for you."

"So, I'll focus on these three jutsu," she began slowly. "After I find my affinity, I can try to learn elemental ninjutsu."

Shikamaru nodded. "Keep in mind that elemental ninjutsu require more chakra, and are usually used by those ranked chūnin or above. You won't be able to practice those ninjutsu as often before running out of chakra. I'd pick only one or two elemental ninjutsu to learn if I were you."

"When do you think would be the best time to practice?"

"Ninjutsu practice requires a lot of chakra and arm movement, but it's otherwise not physically intensive. You could add it to your morning skill training, or even do it after dinner, when your chakra has been replenished by a meal."

"I'll do two practice sessions a day. If I practiced in the morning, my chakra would have time to regenerate during the school day, and I would be ready for another session after dinner."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?"

"With that many training sessions, it's too easy for you to burn out."

"Don't worry, genius. I'll take Saturday off to do my shopping and housekeeping. I'll take it easy on Sunday, too. That'll help even things out. Worst case scenario, I take a few days off before I get back into the swing of things."

Shikamaru sighed. There really was no way to stop her. "If you're really up to it, then take this, too."

The cover of the book displayed the title in solid black: _Chakra: Exercises and Applications_.

-X-

Sakura rubbed her forehead in frustration. 500 pages, and not a single relevant fact. Sighing, she moved on to yet another book. _The Clans of Konoha_ was the fifth book that she had grabbed in her search for information about the Hyūga, information which was frustratingly scarce. All she had found up to now was how and when the Hyūga clan joined Konohagakure, as well as the names of their most recent clan heads. There was little about the internal workings of the clan, and even less information about their techniques. Perhaps this book would be different.

 _Considered one of the noble clans of Konoha, the Hyūga clan... long hair... joined Konohagakure when..._

Well, looked like another dead end. She was about to move on to another book when a word piqued her interest. _Fūinjutsu_.

Sakura had had a vague interest in fūinjutsu ever since she had found out that the sealing arts had a strong basis in mathematics. She had even dreamed of becoming a fūinjutsu master before she entered the Academy. Did the Hyūga specialize in fūinjutsu? She read on.

 _Fūinjutsu has been intertwined with the clan ever since the Hy_ _ūga_ _split into two houses._ _The Hyūga clan has been separated into the main house and the branch house for centuries. Legend has it that the actions of a powerful deity cursed the Hy_ _ūga clan, and forced it to divide into two._ _T_ _he true reasons for this separation has been lost to history._

 _A seal created around the time of the split was used to differentiate the main family from the branch family. Every branch member receives this seal at some point in their lives._ _When the heir of the clan reaches their third birthday, all the unsealed Hy_ _ūga of the branch house receive it. This seal ensures obedience to the main house, as members of the main house can use it to inflict pain on or even kill branch members. It also prevents the Byakugan from falling into enemy hands upon the death of the branch member. Coincidentally, this makes main house members a liability, as their Byakugan aren't protected by the seal._

 _The purpose of the branch family is to serve and protect the main family. The life of a member of the main house is considered to be of more importance than the lives of all those in the branch family combined. This system has caused much internal conflict, but such conflict is rarely outwardly expressed, for the seals applied to the branch members leaves them at the mercy of their main house relatives._

 _Prior to the Warring States Period, the seal could be seen on the torso of the branch member. Later, it was modified so that it appeared on the forehead. Traditionally, branch house members have covered their foreheads with strips of cloth, while main house members display their uncovered foreheads as symbols of their status._

This. This was horrible. How could such a system exist for so long? It didn't make sense. A system of oppression and servitude. All branch members had to endure it. And so did Neji. No wonder his views on fate were so fixed. He believed that his status as a branch member of his clan determined the outcome of his life. In a way, it did. His role in his clan would always be affected by this. In a way, it didn't. The book implied that branch members were considered inferior to those born to the main family, but Neji was a prodigy, even among the Hyūga. His hard work and training had already allowed him to change his course in life. So why did he still believe that fate was absolute?


	8. Chapter 8

"So you're saying you made a bet with your classmate, and now you're going to train for a battle at the end of the year?"

"It's a spar, but yeah, that's the idea."

"And this classmate is a second-year who's considered a prodigy?"

"Yep."

"And he's from a powerful shinobi clan with an equally powerful kekkei genkai?"

"Well, if I train to my strengths, I'll still be able to hold my own against him."

"And you're going to spend all your time training from now on?"

"Yeah."

Dad reached forward to ruffle her hair.

"I'm proud of you, kiddo. You're making your own path in life. I know for a fact that your mother will be happy that you're taking your shinobi studies so seriously."

"Well," she said, rubbing the back of her neck, "I wanted to let you know about this because I'll be spending more money on groceries and supplies for my training."

"No problem."

She looked up in surprise.

"Honey, we're not wealthy, but you've chosen this path, and you're going to get all the support you need." He paused. "As long as you don't buy anything crazy, like chakra blades. Those are expensive. If you want to buy an item that costs over 5,000 ryo, just talk to us beforehand, and we'll discuss whether it's a good-"

His sentence was cut short as she tackled him in a hug.

"Looks like you're starting your training early. Trying to get one over on your old man? Well, I've got a secret weapon."

She squealed with laughter as he started tickling her sides.

Life was good.

-X-

She walked through the aisles of Hearty Produce slowly, Chōji's grocery list in hand. She filled her basket with everything ranging from fish to natto. When she was done, she had two baskets full of purchases. The food would last her a week.

The cashier, a tall Akimichi, glanced at her with interest as he rang up her purchases.

"A new customer. Well, I suppose it's my job to welcome you to Hearty Produce. I'm Akimichi Chōmaru. How was your visit?"

"It was great, Akimichi-san. I'm Haruno Sakura," she introduced herself. "Is it true that the food here aids in chakra regeneration?"

"That's right," he confirmed, puffing up his chest with pride. "The produce we have is second only to that grown by the Shodaime's Mokuton. You're an Academy student, aren't you?"

"Yeah. A friend referred me."

"Well, your friend certainly knows their stuff. As an Academy student, you can receive a 7% discount."

She nodded, her mind already wandering to other topics. "Do you know a store that has good supplies for shinobi?"

"Ah, you're on a shopping spree, aren't you? Well, Pointed Weapons has all the supplies you'll need, and fair prices to boot. Don't let the name scare you off. I have cousins who are loyal customers."

"Thanks a lot, Akimichi-san."

"No problem, Haruno-san."

After the whole transaction was finished, she had spent 1,650 ryo. Even though she had bought more food, the discount had brought down the prices. Considering that last week's groceries were 1,550 ryo, she actually hadn't spent that much more money. Now this was a good deal.

-X-

Pointed Weapons harbored rows upon rows of shinobi supplies. She saw everything from armor to exploding tags, and, of course, a variety of weapons. She grinned gleefully as she grabbed a basket.

A good sharpener was first on the list. Then bandages for wrapping her fists and attaching her weapons holsters. Also, some ninja wire. A good first-aid kit, for any injuries she might get while training. And some more medical supplies.

As an Academy student, she couldn't get combat-grade exploding tags, but she sure could get smoke bombs and flash-bangs. Pepper spray also went into her basket, though she wasn't sure if she could get close enough to hit Neji with it. She restocked on kunai and shuriken, just in case.

Glancing at the armor and shinobi apparel, Sakura decided she could stick with her old training clothes. Storage scrolls were handy, but pricey, so she skipped those as well.

"You preparing to do some serious training, kid?"

The cashier was a veteran shinobi who had lived through the Third Shinobi World War. A deep scar extended from his hairline to the corner of his mouth, the remnants of the injury that had forced him to retire. He appraised her with a lone brown eye.

"Yep," she replied, fidgeting slightly under the intensity of his gaze.

"Well, make sure to stop by often."

"Yeah, I will."

There was a nagging feeling in the back of her mind. What had she forgotten? It was something to do with chakra. Chakra control? No. Chakra blades? No. Aha.

"Do you know where I can find any chakra paper?"

"There's some in storage. You want to find your affinity, right?"

She nodded.

He glanced at her purchases. "You can get a sheet for free. I'll be back in a second."

He disappeared and reappeared with two small rectangles of paper."

"Just put a bit of your chakra in it. The side closest to you will tell you the primary affinity. The other side will tell you the secondary affinity. The key is on the instructions," he said, handing her the paper and the instructions.

"Thanks a lot, um..."

"Just call me Tanaka-san."

"Thanks a lot, Tanaka-san."

-X-

She barricaded herself in her room with her new supplies, and fished out the chakra paper. Taking a deep breath, she sent her chakra into the paper. Nothing happened at first, and she steadily increased the flow of chakra. A few moments later, the paper became damp with moisture. Then, slowly, the other side crumbled into dirt. So, this meant her affinities were water and earth. She plopped down on her bed. Well, she probably wouldn't be shooting fireballs anytime soon, but at least she now had a direction.

She got up and began organizing her supplies.

Weapons went in one pile, first aid supplies in another.

She grouped her old weapons with the new ones she had purchased, creating a small pile of metal.

Sakura picked up her sharpener. It was going to take a while to get through all her weapons.

-X-

Sharpening her weapons left her with a lot of scratches, but also a strange sense of satisfaction. Bolstered by her progress, she bounced downstairs, ready to try her hand at Chōji's recipes. Knives, cutting boards, pans, spatulas, and containers flew out of storage and onto the counter.

Thirty minutes later, Dad came down, lured in by the smell of pan-fried fish.

"Don't worry, Dad, I didn't forget you. You can take some bento boxes with you on your next mission."

"I have such a wonderful daughter."

"You're welcome, Dad."

"Of course, you would be even more wonderful if you let me have some of that fish."

"Sure thing, Dad," Sakura said with a laugh, putting some pieces of fish on a plate.

"Be careful, though. It's really-"

"HOT!" Dad cried out, running to the sink to get a drink of water.

She giggled. Some things would never change.

-X-

Sakura was lounging in the living room, watching the video about the Rapid Contact taijutsu style. Dad sat beside her, correcting her form as she mimicked the instructor on the screen. Saturdays were dedicated to rest and preparation, so she would begin the actual training tomorrow, but that didn't stop her from getting a head start.

As far as stances went, the Contact stance wasn't particularly unusual. The instructor, Nakamura-sensei, took a staggered stance, with his arms up so they would be free to attack or defend. It was similar to the one taught by the Academy.

The next topic was footwork. Nakamura-sensei preached about its importance, and gave a few tips about incorporating proper footwork and movement into shadowboxing. Sakura paused the video as she practiced moving around in her stance. Forward, back, side-to-side, rotate.

"Don't be so stiff. Relax a little," Dad called out.

She heeded his advise and continued. Once she was confident that she could move fluidly in her stance, she started the video again.

"In the best case scenario, you avoid a fight by running away. But, if you can't run away, then you should aim to disable your opponent until you have a chance to get away."

"This guy knows what he's doing," Dad commented. "I especially agree with the running away bit. It's not always best to take on a situation head-on."

The instructor was now going through defenses and attacks. She practiced a few combos, making sure to move around as she shadowboxed.

More attacks using the knees and elbows. Throws weren't out of the question, either. Contact was an aggressive style that incorporated both offense and defense into every single technique.

Then, kicks with the shins, though Sakura wasn't sure that she had the heart to kick Neji in the crotch. There were a few techniques for disarming opponents, too. Sakura knew that Neji would probably rely on his Gentle Fist, but it didn't hurt to know these techniques, just in case he pulled out a kunai.

Nakamura-sensei carefully went through the drills used by practitioners of the style. There were quite a few for improving reaction time. Father and daughter alike winced as they watched the shin conditioning drills. That was bound to hurt.

Having demonstrated a variety of techniques, the instructor moved off the screen, letting his students exhibit the techniques in a spar. Ino definitely hadn't been lying. Rapid Contact was efficient.

She thought about what she had learned during Taijutsu class in the Academy. The reason she had to learn a new taijutsu style in the first place was because the Academy style wasn't really supposed to be used for combat. Genin were expected to learn different styles from their sensei once they were put into teams. The Academy style, which was intended to build good foundations for taijutsu, wasn't even considered a style by some taijutsu specialists. It definitely wasn't going to be effective against the infamous Gentle Fist.

Now, with a new style to learn, she had to focus on techniques that would allow her to get away in case he came in with his Gentle Fist. If she wanted even the smallest chance of winning the bet, she had to learn how to disengage while avoiding rapid attacks.

Once the video ended, she took a five-minute breather. It wouldn't be easy to master the style, especially since she didn't have an instructor with her to point out her mistakes. But even if it gave her the tiniest of advantages, it would be worth it.

Then there was the question of a sparring partner. She could spar with Ino after she mastered the basics of Contact, and she could even rope Shikamaru and Chōji. It wouldn't be that hard to convince her parents to spar with her in between missions, though it might be difficult for her to overcome the size difference. Sakura could work with that. She plopped down and rewatched the training drills.

-X-

She had been laying in bed for over an hour, unable to fall asleep. Without any other activities to distract her, Sakura's mind had finally begun to process the consequences of her bet with Neji. She knew she could make it into the top of the class rankings. Sasuke was always at the top of the class, but students in the second and third spots always changed. She could aim for one of those rankings.

But what then? She was training to fight a second-year prodigy, a member of a clan famous for its devastating taijutsu attacks. If Neji got close enough to land a combo, it would be over. A few hits from the Gentle Fist technique could slow down even the most experienced of shinobi, and would definitely end the spar. She could learn Rapid Contact, but she would never be able to master it in such a short period of time. Neji, on the other hand, had been training for years with his Gentle Fist.

He didn't even need to take her out with taijutsu. Her stamina was pathetic. If Neji stalled, the spar would end when she collapsed in exhaustion.

She groaned. What had she gotten herself into?

Then there was the Byakugan. The dōjutsu rendered most genjutsu ineffective, and allowed a Hyūga to see the buildup of chakra that preceded ninjutsu. Not to mention, traps would be ineffective, and long-range attacks could easily be foreseen.

Foreseen. Huh. Sakura was beginning to see why Neji believed so strongly in predestination. If she went up against him in her current state, she would lose, no question.

Her lips curled up in a grin. There was no predicting what she could do one year from now, though. She shifted slightly, turning onto her side.

Would losing be so bad, though? Sure, Neji would probably rub her loss in her face, but she could pretty much forget about the whole incident after she gave him an apology. There would be no hard feelings, either. If he won, then he would win fair and square. If she lost, she would at least have had the chance to expand her skillset.

And what would winning be like? Yesterday, she had felt a morbid sense of excitement at the thought of hurting Neji, a feeling that she now recognized as bloodlust. Without the haze of anger and indignation, winning seemed much less appealing. Even if she won the bet, it was likely that both of them would be bruised and battered from their spar. A spar that ultimately resulted from a clash of beliefs.

She thought back to what she had learned about the Hyūga clan. Neji's beliefs had been molded by his clan upbringing, just like hers had. But while she had grown up with stories of her mother's journey from an orphan to a proud kunoichi, Neji had grown up in an atmosphere of division.

If she won, she would be helping Neji, too. He had already begun changing his fate, he just hadn't realized it.

She would win. For his sake as much as for hers.


	9. Chapter 9

"What are you looking for?" Mebuki asked as she watched her daughter dig through an overflowing bag.

"There's a scroll with the hand signs for the jutsu I was going to learn, and I can't find it," Sakura responded, her arms flying frantically as she continued her search.

"What jutsu?"

Mebuki, unlike some other parents, had actually looked through the Academy's syllabus. She knew for a fact that the Academy didn't start teaching jutsu until the second year, with the first year dedicated to meditation, hand seals, and chakra control exercises. She also knew that Academy students didn't have access to elemental ninjutsu scrolls from the library. Therefore, her daughter must be trying to learn a basic ninjutsu.

"The Substitution jutsu."

Mebuki's deduction was correct. "Silly girl. You could have just asked me."

At her daughter's look of confusion, she elaborated. "The Substitution is taught to all Academy students, and I would be a fool to forget such a useful jutsu. It's actually saved my life more than once."

Suddenly, she took out a kunai and threw it to her right.

"It's time for a demonstration. Try to attack me," she ordered, her hands already moving through the necessary seals.

Sakura nodded, and launched several shuriken. As the weapons hit their mark, the figure that appeared to be Mebuki suddenly disappeared, replaced with a single kunai.

"The Substitution allows you to switch places with nearby objects, without the opponent realizing that you have moved," Mebuki explained. "I used a kunai, but you could switch with just about anything. I believe the Academy uses logs when teaching the jutsu. You can find many uses of this technique if you're creative enough. I know a friend who got out of a tough situation by swapping himself with the water from a nearby lake. His pursuers thought that he had used a water clone to trick them, but he had actually been hiding in the lake the whole time, and he managed to get back to Konoha safely."

She chuckled at Sakura's look of awe. Her little girl was so naive, not yet burdened by ghosts. She would give anything to keep her this way, blind to the horrors that shinobi were forced to carry out, but reality could not be ignored. The world was one of violence, violence that was all too often carried out by shinobi.

"I've already shown you the seals for the jutsu. Did you see what they were?"

"Tiger, Boar, um... I couldn't see the rest. You were moving really fast."

"Ox, Dog, Snake. Don't worry about not being able to see all of the seals. Your eyes will get used to faster movements after time. Now try running through those hand seals without chakra. After enough practice, you won't even have to think about the seals, and you can focus on other parts of the technique. Eventually, you might even learn how to perform the jutsu without any seals."

As a mother, the best thing Mebuki could do was pass on her wisdom. Hopefully, her daughter would survive long enough to do the same.

-X-

Training Ground 5 was surrounded on four sides by forest. Besides the trees that Konoha was famous for, the land was barren. There wasn't a single training post in sight. Sakura cursed. Unless she was able to get to the forest immediately, or constructed a barrier of her own, there was no other obstacle between her and Neji's Gentle Fist.

How was she going to approach this? If she increased the range of her Substitution, she could probably get to the forest quickly. Neji would know where she was, but he would need to get closer to finish her off with his taijutsu. Once she got her distance, she would need to maintain it by keeping him away with mid-range or long-range attacks. That could be her chance to show off her techniques. She would probably be using a combination of weapons and ninjutsu.

Of course, Neji would also be doing his best to finish her off. After much research, she had finally found that the Gentle Fist style allowed a Hyūga to block their enemies' tenketsu, which effectively stopped them from using chakra in that portion of their body, and also hindered their movements.

She needed more ideas.

-X-

Sakura walked around the perimeter of Training Ground 15. She had scoped out the training grounds, and had decided on this one for a reason. The river and the foliage both served as natural boundaries for the practice area. Like many other training areas, it had posts and dummies for practicing taijutsu blows, as well as targets for weapons practice. Protective armor for sparring lay in a pile. A massive obstacle course sprawled over half of the clearing.

She would need to get familiarized with the area. Most of her training would take place here. After her first look around, she headed to her bag to grab a red book.

She didn't need any of the training equipment right now. All she needed was a sturdy tree.

The tiny hardcover, recommended by Shikamaru, was packed with detailed descriptions of over 500 different exercises for developing chakra control. Each of those different exercises had variations of their own. It would possibly be enough to keep her occupied for the rest of her shinobi career, but she would focus on the tree climbing exercise today.

The exercise was a prerequisite for the tree-hopping technique that most Konoha shinobi used when traveling. While refining chakra control, it also taught shinobi to output a steady stream of chakra. One had to consistently channel chakra to their feet to stay attached to the tree. The exercise increased a shinobi's chakra capacity as well, which was the main reason she had picked this exercise. If she was going to use ninjutsu against Neji, she needed enough chakra to power them.

She faced the tree with determination. In principle, this was similar to the leaf exercise. This time, instead of getting a leaf to stick to her, she would have to get her feet stuck firmly on the trunk of a tree.

Raising her right foot, she placed it against the trunk. Taking a deep breath to center herself, she sent a stream of chakra to her foot. It wasn't enough. She was able to lift her foot easily. A few more tries produced the same results, so she decided to drastically increase her output.

Sakura jumped back hastily as the wood cracked under the force of her chakra. The tree didn't seem to be in any danger of falling, so she headed back for a few more attempts.

After a while, she was finally able to get the correct balance. She spent a few minutes running up and down the tree in an effort to increase her capacity.

The repetitive motion was a bit boring, though. As an experiment, she launched herself towards another tree. She ended up with scratches on her hands from a rough landing, but she landed all the same. Bubbling with excitement, she jumped among the trees like an overgrown monkey, clinging to branches and trunks alike. Unbeknownst to her, she had stumbled across the fundamentals of the tree-hopping technique.

Sakura had to admit, this training was more fun than she thought it was going to be. If she kept making progress like this, maybe she would actually have a chance at beating Neji.

-X-

She didn't have a single chance of beating Neji. She had met up with Ino for their sparring session, and, true to her word, Ino had made Sakura eat dirt. Repeatedly. In fact, Sakura's hair was more brown than pink right now, and she was covered in grass stains.

She must have voiced her thoughts out loud, because Ino came over and dumped a bucket of water on her to wash off the dirt.

Sakura groaned and plopped down on the ground.

"That's it. Neji's going to demolish me."

"Don't get so down, Forehead. You started learning this taijutsu style, what, three days ago? I'm not surprised that you're doing so badly."

Well, that was one way to look at it.

"The reason that we practice our techniques so much at the Academy is because we need to be able to perform those techniques on instinct, without thought. Right now, you're still thinking about properly performing your techniques. There's a lot of lag between your decision to use a strike and the strike itself. I bet that you'll do a lot better next week, when the new style is more ingrained," Ino stated with the air of an expert.

"How do you know I'll get better? Maybe I just suck at taijutsu."

Perhaps it was because she didn't have the right genes. Neither of her parents were taijutsu specialists, after all. She shuddered mentally as she realized her thoughts mirrored Neji's beliefs in predestination.

"That's nonsense. It's been scientifically proven that repetitive practice improves performance by increasing the myelin sheaths around the axons."

Sakura looked completely lost. Sometimes she forgot that Ino was from a clan with deep knowledge of the mind-body connection.

"You'll get better at it if you practice a lot," Ino added for her benefit.

"In that case, I'm ready for another round," Sakura said with a grin. She got up and dusted herself off.

Ino beamed. "I'm glad you're back on track, Forehead. That being said, I'm not going to go easy on you. If you want to fight a taijutsu prodigy, you're going to have to train until you can keep up with me."

Oh boy. She saw a lot of grass stains in her future.

-X-

If she had enough mental coherency to do so, she would probably be cursing herself for letting Ino make her training plan. Her best friend may have appeared to be a flower-loving gossip, but she was also a clan heir, and the blonde's training regimen reflected that fact. The plan that Ino had designed was harsh in a way that Sakura simply wasn't used to, which led to her current status.

The Academy student was lying on her side in a patch of grass near the river in Training Ground 15. She was lightheaded, sweaty, and sore all over. Her stomach had rebelled against her earlier, and the contents of her lunch could be found somewhere in the bushes. Nonetheless, she had managed to complete the workout before collapsing. Not that her success made her feel any better. This was only the first of several workouts that Ino had dubbed "hard". And she would be doing another one on Friday, which was much too soon for her liking.

She knew that she would need her chakra for her ninjutsu practice, but she couldn't find it within herself to care right now. She began running her chakra, chasing away the soreness in her muscles.

Finally found the energy to pull herself upright, Sakura trudged to the river and splashed some water on her face. Feeling a bit better, she picked up her bag and left the training ground.

As she walked home, she noticed that nobody, not even the civilians, seemed surprised by the sight of a sweat-drenched Academy student. She had no doubt that Neji must have trained as hard as she did, if not harder, to obtain the title of prodigy. She really had been neglecting her physical conditioning. How would she ever catch up?

No, she didn't need to match Neji in taijutsu to win the bet. Maybe there was a way to continue fighting even after her tenketsu had been blocked. She resolved to head to the library for more ideas.

-X-

There wasn't a single book that provided anything remotely close to an answer. She shouldn't have expected anything else. If there was an easy way to negate the effects of the Gentle Fist, the Hyūga clan wouldn't be as renowned as it was. Maybe she would come up with a solution later.

That wasn't to say her search was fruitless. She had found out that the Byakugan couldn't be used for long periods of time. Also, the Gentle Fist style required its users to inject their chakra into the tenketsu of their opponents. If Neji ran out of chakra, his attacks would no longer be as dangerous.

Of course, it was unlikely that she would be able to drag out the spar long enough to cause eye strain or chakra exhaustion, but any information was better than no information, as long as it wasn't misinformation.

The real gem of her search was a manual on fūinjutsu that contained instructions for making everything from storage scrolls to smoke bombs. She had no idea why such a book was even in the section for Academy students. After all, there were instructions for making explosive tags, which students couldn't purchase. No matter. She would put ink and a brush on her shopping list.

-X-

Sakura glanced wistfully at the food stand. There was anmitsu, mochi, and lots of dango. Mitarashi dango, goma dango...

"You know, if you want some, you should just get some instead of standing there like a drooling idiot."

Ino was never afraid to voice her opinions.

"I want to, but I can't," Sakura groused, regretfully tearing her eyes away from the sweet treats.

"Well, why not?"

"If you must know, Pig, it's because I'm strictly following Chōji's meal plan. My physical conditioning is my priority. As much as I love sweets, I can save them for later."

That, and because she was probably going to barf up the food after her training session. But she kept the second reason to herself.

"I do have to say, your training's working wonders already. Your aim with shuriken has definitely improved. You almost managed to beat me during our contest."

Sakura smiled at the compliment.

"Maybe next time, I'll take your throne."

Ino scoffed. "Not a chance, Forehead. You're not the only one who's training, you know. Even Shikamaru over there is training more than usual, and he's probably one of the laziest people in Konoha," she said, gesturing to the Nara trailing behind them.

"That's great, Shikamaru!"

"It's very troublesome," Shikamaru complained. "But it's not as bad when Chōji and I are training together."

Chōji nodded in assent.

"It's definitely better than cloud-gazing," Ino proclaimed.

It was nice to relax once in a while, Sakura thought as the four went their separate ways. Right now, she had work to do. As she headed to the training grounds, she saw a familiar figure. It was Naruto, walking confidently in the center of the street, seemingly uncaring of the crowd that drew away from him in… fear? Hate? She had never seen Naruto outside of school before, and this treatment seemed extremely unusual. There were several glares thrown at him, and one man even stepped forward, as if to hit him. Another man, a shinobi, had held him back and pointed at something she couldn't see. She frowned. Were there guards watching the blonde?She heard a few mumble "demon brat" or "damn fox". Sakura knew he was an orphan. Would they still hate him so if his parents were there to protect him? Or was he unwanted by his parents?

She looked back to where Naruto had been, and found that he had disappeared. Where had he gone?

As she thought about the mystery that was Naruto, she began to see other inconsistencies.

Naruto was rather scrawny for his age. Did he get enough to eat? Besides that, the coloring of his eyes and his hair was strange. He was no Yamanaka, but Sakura didn't know of anyone else with bright blonde hair and blue eyes. Besides that, his last name was Uzumaki. The Uzumaki clan hailed from Uzushiogakure, a village known for its expertise in fūinjutsu, as well as its members' strong life forces. Due to the Uzumaki's relation to the Senju clan, Konoha had been allied with Uzushio, as evidenced by the red whirlpool symbol on the flak jackets worn by chūnin and jōnin. The red whirlpool symbol also showcased one of the Uzumaki clan's defining traits: red hair. If Naruto was truly an Uzumaki, why didn't he have red hair? She didn't know what it meant, and she had more questions than answers, but she would think about it later, after she finished her conditioning for the day.


	10. Chapter 10

It was the middle of October, and Sakura was going on an easy run just inside the walls of Konoha. She was grateful for the cool fall breeze that swept over her as she ran. She would never have thought she'd actually enjoy running at any point in her life, but the intense training she had undergone had been enough to change her opinions. After all, she only ever got to go running on her easy days. On hard days, she would be sprinting. She shuddered at the mere memory of suicide sprints. Compared with the painful regimens she put herself through on Tuesdays and Fridays, runs were practically a walk in the park.

"Hey you! Academy girl!"

Was he talking to her?

"Yeah, you! Come over here for a second!"

One of the chūnin gate guards, one with a bandage over his nose, was waving her over.

Sakura slowed down to a walk, and stopped in front of the guard, trying to keep her confusion concealed.

"Don't look so scared. We won't bite," the chūnin assured her. "In fact, we've got a present for you."

He reached inside one of his pockets and presented a handful of bills and coins.

"This is all for you!"

She was beyond confused now. Why was this chūnin giving her money?

"Kotetsu, you should probably explain first." The other guard interjected.

"Right, right. Here's the thing, Academy girl. We chūnin are nosy because we don't have anything else to do. After we saw you training, a whole bunch of us decided to place bets. A lot of people bet that you would quit after a week. We've seen it before, you know. All these brats get so gung-ho and then they quit after the first three days," he told her, waving his arms as if the movements would make his story more believable.

"Anyways, it's been more than two weeks since you've started, so we won quite a bit of money. Izumo here thought it was unfair that we kept all the money to ourselves when you were the one training, so you're getting half of our winnings," the guard now identified as Kotetsu explained.

The story sounded far-fetched, but not impossible, so she accepted the money.

"Anyways, keep on making us mone- ow!" Kotetsu was interrupted by a painful elbow to the side.

"I mean, keep on training, that's what I meant to say, Academy girl."

"My name is Haruno Sakura, not Academy girl."

"We hope you enjoy the rest of your run, Haruno-san," Izumo stated in a calm tone as he started dragging his protesting partner back to their positions at the village's gates.

That was Sakura's first encounter with the Twins.

-X-

She painted the last few lines of the seal with smooth, even strokes. Done. She inspected the paper carefully, making sure the pattern matched the one in the book. Nodding absentmindedly to herself, she slid a kunai from her holster, attached the seal, and threw the kunai towards its target. She scrunched her eyes closed and covered her ears as soon as the kunai left her hand. As the weapon hit the trunk of the tree, blinding light flooded over the training ground.

After a few seconds, she walked over to the kunai. Her seal matched the book's sample perfectly, yet the bang part of flash-bang had yet to occur. What had gone wrong?

Walking over to her bag, she picked up the book, and flipped to the diagram that she had consulted when making her seal.

 _Circuit converts a portion of the chakra into light through ... also causes vibrations that will produce a loud ... time delay of one minute between flash and bang ... important-_

Wait, what? A time delay? Sakura covered her ears in time to prevent the loud boom from deafening her. A flock of birds took to the air, scared by the sudden noise.

She sighed. Well, even if she made the wrong seal, she still managed to practice her brush strokes. She flipped to the diagram for a simultaneous flash-bang, and prepared the supplies needed for another seal.

As she reached for a piece of paper, an idea occurred to her. She had recently learned the Transformation jutsu, and while the technique was usually used to change the appearance of the user, she knew that the technique could also be used to change the appearance of objects. With enough chakra applied, the illusion would become more and more "solid", until it finally became reality. In this way, the jutsu could literally be used to turn one object into another.

The reason this application of the jutsu wasn't commonly used was because of the large amount of chakra required. But, transforming a sheet of paper into a seal tag shouldn't require nearly as much chakra.

Running through the hand seals for the Transformation, she placed her palms on the paper and channeled her chakra through the sheet. A puff of chakra smoke temporarily obscured her view, and she fanned it away with impatience. Through the smoke, she could make out black lines on the paper, but she needed to make sure that the seal array was complete.

Sakura stared at the paper. A perfect replica of a flash-bang seal remained. Immediately, she attached the tag to a kunai and threw it across the training ground, keeping her eyes on the weapon in anticipation. As soon as the weapon dug into the ground, a nearly-simultaneous flash and bang were released.

In hindsight, she probably shouldn't have stared at the flash-bang. She berated herself for her carelessness, though it was a bit hard to think with the annoying ringing in her ears.

Calculating the amount of chakra she had left, she judged that she would have enough juice to make at least 10 more seals this way. She frowned. She wouldn't be able to use this technique all the time, but it was a good discovery. A few experiments would have to be conducted to see how long the transformation would last. Best case scenario, she could make a few packs of exploding tags and flash bangs in the months before her spar. Maybe her dream of becoming a fūinjutsu master wasn't so far-fetched, after all.

-X-

"Get away from our training posts!"

Sakura could hear faint snatches of an argument emanating from the Academy training grounds. The Academy's training grounds were open to all ninja when it wasn't being used during the school day. It wasn't uncommon to see older Academy students there after school, with fourth-years often crowding the grounds to squeeze in extra practice in preparation for their graduation test. It was probably just a small scuffle that would resolve itself. She decided to ignore it.

"But I was here first!"

Was that Naruto? Her curiosity getting the better of her, she walked up the wall of the Academy to the roof. From her new vantage point, she could see several fourth-year boys standing around her classmate, who was glaring at them defiantly. They were trying to herd him away from the wooden shuriken posts, but Naruto was standing his ground.

"You can't tell me what to do! You're not the Hokage, dattebayo!"

The bullies were cracking their knuckles threateningly.

"If we can't tell you what to do, we'll just use our fists to make you do it!" the leader of the group cried out.

There was fear in Naruto's eyes now, and he started to back away, but they were surrounding him.

Her breath hitched. Once, she had been in that exact same position. Ami and her gang were advancing on her, throwing pebbles and dirt, trying to push her down. They were relentless, chasing her away from her favorite reading bench and harassing her whenever she stepped within their sights. She hadn't understood why they were so mean to her. And she had been just as helpless as Naruto was now.

Her morals clashed with a strong sense of self-preservation. She couldn't defeat a group of upperclassmen in combat. She had barely started learning Rapid Combat. As she watched them cornering him, she struggled to keep her breathing under control. Her hands were shaking, her knees were weak, she couldn't move. She was a coward.

-X-

It had been a good day for Naruto. He had received his monthly stipend, and had stocked up on groceries. His wallet, Gama-chan, had been happy and full. Of course, groceries meant a few boxes of instant ramen, but that didn't bother him too much. Ramen was the food of the Sage, after all.

Even better, Jiji had visited and taken him to Ichiraku's! He had wolfed down eight bowls of ramen during one sitting, and told the old man about his various adventures.

"The dog looked really sad because it didn't have any friends. So then, I painted animals on all the walls, so the dog wouldn't have to be lonely!"

Jiji had said something about an extremely big apetight or whatever after his fifth bowl of ramen, but he figured it was just Jiji talking about Hokage stuff. The old man wouldn't have to worry about that for much longer, though, because he would take the hat soon. Jiji had laughed, and told him that he would have to train a lot if he wanted to become Hokage.

And he had received his own set of shuriken to practice with! Naruto had promised to train hard, but it looked like his plans weren't going to work out smoothly.

His back was to the wire fence that surrounded the Academy training grounds, and he was surrounded. This would all be better if he could move through fences. He looked forlornly at the shuriken set that was lying near the wooden practice posts. The older boys would probably take them once they chased him away. His heart sank as the leader prepared to throw a punch. He just couldn't seem to get through a day without meeting some trouble. Naruto thought back to the villagers' whispers. They said he was bad luck, a demon. That was why they didn't like him. He was a no-good bad-luck fox. He raised his arms to brace for the assault, and closed his eyes. If he tried hard, he could imagine that he was at Ichiraku's, eating ramen with Jiji. It would be over soon.

"What's going on here?" a familiar voice boomed.

His head shot up at the sound. Hope tentatively bloomed inside his chest. It was Iruka-sensei!

The leader stopped mid-swing and scurried backwards, attempting to look innocent.

"You boys get back to practicing and stop making trouble before I kick all of you out," Iruka-sensei barked. "Usage of the Academy training ground is a privilege, not a right. You would do well to remember it."

"Yes, Iruka-sensei," the boys chorused. They wouldn't pick a fight with an Academy sensei watching, though they did shoot Naruto some mean looks as they scattered.

"Pack up your things, Naruto-san. I need to talk to you for a moment."

"Oh, okay." He sighed. Instead of a beating, he was going to receive a lecture. Iruka-sensei was going to try to make him do homework for the umpteenth time.

He collected his shuriken set, which had remained untouched, and hurried back towards the entrance to the training grounds.

"Iruka-sensei, nothing you say will make me do homework," he stated with utmost confidence.

Iruka-sensei seemed surprised. "Oh, it's not about homework."

Naruto's forehead scrunched in confusion. Not homework?

"So, what are we going to talk about?" he asked as they walked around the Academy building. It was strange. Iruka-sensei usually lectured him inside his office, and they had walked past the entrance that was closest to his office.

"Um. Your KHag essay!" Iruka-sensei stammered out.

"But you didn't assign one!"

His last essay had been on the First Shinobi World War. He had it done late, but he had handed it in all the same, so it couldn't have been about that paper.

"Let's just get away from this place, first. I'll explain later."

Something fishy was going on.

"If you're mad because I'm going to throw glitter bombs during class tomorrow, I promise I won't do it."

Iruka-sensei stumbled a little, then began to cough loudly.

"Are you alright? Do you need some water?" Naruto began to panic. Iruka-sensei had been fine the last time he had seen him. Now he was coughing. If sensei found out he was bad luck, would he try to avoid him, too?

"I'm fine. I don't need any water," Iruka-sensei replied between coughs. He recomposed himself after his coughing fit, and continued walking, Naruto trailing behind him uncertainly.

No more words were exchanged until they reached a clearing in a park near the Academy. Giant trees, now yellow and orange with the coming of fall, formed a natural barrier around them, giving a sense of privacy.

"Naruto-san, I'm going to do something very strange right now. Don't be surprised."

Naruto nodded in agreement. Really, he had already seen a lot of strange things. Nothing Iruka-sensei could do would surprise him, not even if he took all of his glitter bombs.

There was a small puff of smoke, and Iruka-sensei turned into Sakura.

"Hey! I've heard of that technique before! It's called the Transformation, right? Are you trying to teach me a secret technique? That's awesome, dattebayo!" He would be able to take the position of Hokage so much faster if he learned ninjutsu.

Iruka-Sakura blinked. "I don't know how to explain this, Naruto-san. But, uhm, I'm not actually Iruka-sensei. I'm Sakura."

"So, you're not Iruka-sensei?" he asked.

"No, I'm not," she confirmed.

"Then why did you pretend to be Iruka-sensei?" Naruto was very confused now. Did she just enjoy being tall?

"I. Um."

He waited patiently for her explanation.

"I saw those boys, and I didn't want you to get beat up."

Naruto's mind halted, trying to comprehend this new tidbit. Someone had tried to help him? But, he was a bad-luck fox, right? Nobody really wanted to be around him. They weren't even friends, just classmates.

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked worriedly.

There were tears on his face. He was crying. Why was he crying? The Hokage would never cry in such a situation.

"You're just pretending! You're a faker!" he finally burst out.

She jumped back, a hurt expression on her face.

"I'm a bad-luck fox! Nobody ever wants to be around me," he sobbed. "You shouldn't be, either!"

With that, he turned and fled from the clearing.


	11. Chapter 11

Sakura stood alone in the clearing, her heart twisting with pain. Naruto had been suffering all this time, and she had been blind. How many times had he been bullied? She had seen the look of resignation on his face when he was surrounded. How many times had he been ignored? She had never seen him during lunch, probably because he left to eat by himself. How many times had she ignored him? Countless times. She had failed at applying the most basic of shinobi skills: observation.

She sat down, afraid her knees wouldn't support her weight. She would apologize to him. She would stop ignoring him - How could she have been so cruel? The leaves swirling in the air provided no answers.

Sakura got up shakily. She wasn't sure how she would make up for her actions, but she definitely needed a trip to Hearty Produce. That would come later, though. First, she needed to confirm a suspicion that had been brooding, deep within her mind.

-X-

Naruto ran all the way back to his apartment, tears blurring his vision. He fumbled with the key, dropping it several times before finally managing to unlock the door. His shuriken set tumbled from a listless hand, bouncing into the living room. As soon as he was inside, the door firmly shut, he held his head in his hands and cried.

It wasn't true. Nobody liked him. Who would even want to be around him? Jiji. But he had been one of the few exceptions. Everywhere he went, there were whispers, sometimes angry, sometimes fearful. Even in the Academy, his classmates never wanted to work with him during group projects. It was part of the reason he skipped class so often, so he wouldn't have to deal with the feeling of being the one left out, the only person who didn't belong.

But Sakura had helped him without expecting anything in return. And it wasn't the first time, either. She had helped him clean the walls after he painted those animals. She had offered pencils when he left his at home.

His stomach churned with guilt. How had he thanked her? He had yelled at her. The image of her face, twisted with hurt, floated up from the recesses of his mind. He slammed his hands over his eyes in an attempt to chase away the image. It didn't go away. He had never wanted to cause her pain, but she had given him no choice.

What would happen to her if the villagers found out she was helping a bad-luck fox? They would think that she was bad luck, too. They would avoid her, whispering about her just like they whispered about him, throwing her glares filled with hatred. When she saw this, she would drift away, and he would be alone again.

He thought of Teuchi. The villagers hadn't liked it when Teuchi gave him free ramen. They whispered about it, just like they whispered about bad luck and foxes.

It would be better if she stayed far away from him. The villagers wouldn't hate her, and he wouldn't have to feel sad when she stopped being his friend. He would ignore her. Make it clear that she shouldn't be around him. Yes. That was what he would do.

He wiped away his tears and stood up, still a bit unsure of his decision. Suddenly, he was standing in front of the bathroom mirror. He splashed water on his face, trying to wash away the tears and snot. The guilt stayed.

Maybe he would apologize first. And explain why she had to stay away. She would understand. She had to. Then life would return to normalcy. He would be alone and she wouldn't be hated. With a lighter conscience, he picked up his shuriken set and squirreled it away in his closet, next to the rest of his meager training supplies.

But another part of his mind hoped that she wouldn't understand, that she would be his friend. Friend. He didn't have many of those.

Hope was a dangerous thing, and he wanted to crush that feeling himself, before it was crushed by rejection. But he let the hope remain. He would take his chances. Leave himself vulnerable because there was a chance that it would be different this time around.

He could hope.

-X-

She found herself buried among piles and piles of history books, flipping through the pages in an attempt to confirm her theory. All of them said more or less the same thing. This was getting her nowhere.

Then again, history books could lie and mislead, especially if they were intended to be read by Academy students. Getting up from her seat, she headed to the archives to get more accurate information.

The documents available to Academy students were limited, stuffed into a few shelves near a corner of the library. Her movements stirred the dust on the shelves, tickling her nose. This section of the library was rarely traversed.

She had found them. Declassified accounts of the event written by eyewitnesses.

 _It appeared out of nowhere, bringing with it an aura of power that could be felt by shinobi and civilians alike. The demon crushed an entire section of the village under its weight. The warning bells rang out, rousing the village from its slumber. Shinobi forces scrambled to stop it, but their attacks were largely ineffective. The demon was simply too powerful. Some perished in combat, while others were simply in the way of the demon's senseless rampage._

 _Chaos. Collapsed buildings. The earth was trembling, the night filled with ghastly roars as the demon fought against the shinobi. Civilians and children were being evacuated into overcrowded shelters. The Academy was destroyed._

 _I remember the feeling of overwhelming fear as a ball of chakra formed at the demon's maw, the sphere almost bigger than the recently-finished face of the Yondaime. It fired a massive ball of chakra at the Hokage Rock, but the attack disappeared before it hit. No doubt, the work of shinobi..._

 _It disappeared as quickly as it came, leaving destruction behind. We were later told that the Yondaime Hokage had sacrificed his life to seal the demon. It was a tragedy..._

 _Konoha was subdued in mourning the day after. We lost our Kage that night, and with it, some of our spirit. The rebuilding went slowly. Smiles and laughs became rare. Funerals were held, one after the other. The Sandaime returned to oversee a village in despair. Some villagers were in denial. They clung to the bodies of their loved ones and refused to let go..._

The Yondaime had sacrificed his life to seal the demon. Seal. That was why the villagers treated him so. That was why Naruto believed he was a fox.

But it wasn't fair! Naruto would have been just a baby then. It wasn't his fault. He didn't choose to have the fox sealed within him.

Anger bubbled within her. The Yondaime's actions had subjected an innocent child to the hatred of the village. The anger deflated as soon as she remembered that the Yondaime himself had given his life on that night.

But there must have been another option at the time. No, there had been no other options. If the rampage had continued, Konoha would have been reduced to ruins. The Yondaime's seal had saved Konoha, yet it had also doomed Naruto to a hollow childhood, hated by the village that had been saved by the seal that he carried.

-X-

Naruto shifted uncomfortably in his seat, but kept his eyes on the door. Any minute now, she would come in with her friend Ino. Hopefully, she wouldn't try to avoid him. He would walk up to her, and ask to meet her after school at the clearing in the park. At the clearing, he would apologize. He would explain, yes. He would explain why they couldn't be friends. And she would understand. Or she might not. But either way, he would explain.

Ah, there she was, stepping in with her blonde friend right behind her.

He walked briskly to the entrance. She saw him coming, and separated from Ino. A strange expression was on her face as she waited besides the door, but it wasn't one of fear or hatred, so he didn't mind.

He was standing right in front of her now. He looked into her eyes, bright green eyes, and then all he could think about was how those eyes had looked so pained when he had yelled at her. It took him a few moments to remember what he had set out to do.

"C-Can you meet me? This afternoon, after school? At the clearing?" he finally managed.

He waited until she gave her answer, then turned and went back to his seat. She had agreed. It would be okay. He would apologize. He would explain. And maybe he could hope.

-X-

She unsealed the bento one more time, checking to make sure that it wasn't damaged in any way by the sealing process. Ino, sitting on a desk, observed quietly from her position, her legs swinging.

"You're planning to give that to Naruto-san?"

"Yeah. I've been ignoring him all this time. I have to make up for it somehow." Guilt wracked her yet again. She resealed the bento and rolled up the scroll.

"What are you going to do with the groceries? Are you going to become his personal cook or something?"

"No, I'm not going to become his personal cook, but I am going to make sure he has the supplies to cook his own food. I have a feeling that he doesn't get enough to eat," she responded, tucking the scroll away in her pack.

Ino nodded in agreement. "He does seem rather skinny. And he's not in an orphanage either, so there's no one around to make sure he has enough to eat."

This brought up a troubling thought. Naruto had to have been in an orphanage at some point. Based on the actions of most of the villagers, Sakura doubted that the people who ran the orphanage had brought him up in a warm and caring environment. Likely, their hatred of the fox sealed within him would have manifested in harsh words, frequent reprimands, and limited food.

"Are you okay?" Ino asked. She had jumped down from her position on the desk, and was now standing in front of Sakura, waving her hand in front of her friend's face. "You're spacing out again."

"I'm fine. Just thinking," Sakura muttered. "If you have time, could you-"

"Yeah, I'll help. It's for a good cause. I'm not heartless, Forehead. I know you're busy with training and all that. But you're getting me pudding. Custard pudding."

"Thanks a lot, Ino," she said with a beam. "I really appreciate it."

"Don't worry your forehead about it," Ino said, waving off her thanks. "I'll have it for you by Friday at the latest. Now go make your food delivery."

-X-

The sky was downcast, cloudy. The trees didn't seem as vibrant as they did the day before. The wind moved noisily, carrying fall leaves with it. Everything seemed gray.

Naruto fidgeted. It wasn't the best time or place for an apology.

But she came anyways, braving the wind, uncaring of the airborne leaves. He didn't have any excuses now.

He looked her in the eyes. He would do this right. No backing out.

"I wanted to apologize for yesterday," he said sincerely. "I shouldn't have yelled at you, and I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings."

She looked surprised, but he barreled on.

"I also want to tell you, you shouldn't help me any more. People get hurt if they help me. I mean I'm happy that you helped me with those fourth-years yesterday, but it's not worth it if you're getting hurt."

He stared into her eyes, trying to judge her reaction.

"I'd like to apologize, too," she said. He frowned. Why was she apologizing? She didn't do anything wrong.

"I should have noticed how the villagers were treating you, but I ignored it. I ignored you. For that, I'm sorry."

He watched as she pulled something out of her pack. It was a scroll. He stared in fascination as she unrolled it and pressed her palms against the paper. Out of the paper appeared bags of groceries.

She fumbled with the scroll again, her face flushing. A bento box emerged in a puff of smoke.

"I wanted to give you this," she said, presenting the bento.

Naruto hesitantly extended his hands and wrapped his fingers around the box. It was real. The wood felt smooth. He lifted the lid slightly, the smell of tempura wafting out.

"I also have groceries," she said gesturing to the bags sitting on the scroll. "You don't have to carry the bags. I'll show you how to seal them into the scroll, and you can unseal them and put them in your refrigerator when you get home," she rambled on.

"Thank you," was all he could manage. "Thank you," he repeated.

And Naruto smiled.

-X-

She remembered the look on Naruto's face when he saw the bento. A look of happiness mixed with disbelief. He had held it gently at first, as if not sure that the box was real. Then he had held it close to his chest, as if was the most precious thing in the world, more valuable than gold and jewels.

Afterwards, he had watched attentively as she demonstrated the proper usage of sealing scrolls. He had picked up the sealing technique after a few tries. Naruto wasn't stupid. He just didn't have anyone to teach him.

He had confided that it was his dream to become a powerful shinobi, one who could earn the respect of the villagers. She could see his wistful look in her mind's eye. All he wanted was to be acknowledged.

For now, she would help by getting him groceries every week. He would need the nourishment for his shinobi studies.

A powerful shinobi. She thought of the legends of the Sannin, how they had earned their name on the battlefields, defending Konoha. One step at a time, she reminded herself.

Tiger, Boar, Ox, Dog, Snake.

-X-

Ino scanned through the list, occasionally scribbling down a name. She had been doing this for a good chunk of an hour. It was monotonous, but who could say no to free pudding? With that thought, she went back to work.

-X-

On to the next name. Fortunately, most of the people on the list were shinobi. Sakura could find their pictures from old bingo books. Unfortunately, said old bingo books didn't really photocopy well. She had had to copy the pictures herself with the Transformation.

Well, at least her job as a human copy machine earned her lots of practice in the Transformation. In the space of a few days, she had become so proficient that she only needed a single hand seal to perform the jutsu. She knew that she could get rid of the seals entirely after enough repetition, though she still couldn't make the leap. Maybe she would investigate half-seals later.

Sakura left the library with mild chakra depletion and a sense of satisfaction.


	12. Chapter 12

Naruto flipped and danced, dodging the shadows that chased him. Training with friends was much better than training alone. Currently, he was working on his agility with Shikamaru.

It was just the two of them today. Chōji had to cook, Ino had to shop, and Sakura had to do research. Usually, there would be at least four of them training together. It was probably pure chance that three of them couldn't make it.

Glancing towards the sky, he saw the colors of dusk. This slight distraction proved to be his undoing, as the wily shadow quickly caught up, causing him to freeze in place.

He gave a thumbs up to Shikamaru, who withdrew the shadow with a lazy stretch.

"It's getting dark. I think we should be finishing up," Naruto commented. Now what would he make for dinner? He had eggs and some vegetables…

"Before you head home, you should head to Sakura's place. She said she had something to give you."

Something to give him? Maybe it was fresh groceries. But she usually gave those to him on Monday. He grinned in excitement. She probably had another bento for him.

A few minutes later, he was standing in front of his friend's house, Shikamaru trailing along behind him.

Sakura opened the door before he even knocked. Slightly confused, he let Sakura lead him inside.

"Get in here Shikamaru, you're not getting away!" Ino ran to the door, and dragged the poor Nara with her to the kitchen.

Dangling from the ceiling was a large banner announcing "HAPPY BIRTHDAY NARUTO".

"I bet you can guess what you're here for. I know we're a couple weeks late, but you said you never had a real birthday party, so we decided to give you one," Sakura explained as she guided him to the dinner table, where he saw plates upon plates of food. "The three of us made the food while you were training."

He felt his body bubbling with a feeling he knew to be happiness. A grin spread over his face.

"Let's eat before Chōji starves! He hasn't snacked for a few hours."

He sat down, breathing in the scent of tempura, sushi, miso soup, and ramen. As they started the meal, conversation jumped from one topic to another.

"So I met my dad's sensei one day, he was a really old Sarutobi. You know, gray hair, wrinkles, and all that. He told me about the craziest missions ever. One time, he had to guard a fisherman, and the fisherman just really reeked of fish. Sarutobi-sensei stayed on the fishing boat for months. Afterwards, people called him 'Sashimi', but he didn't mind them. Besides a powerful shinobi, he became one of the best cooks in the Sarutobi clan. He could prepare yakizakana, sushi, nitsuke, if it had fish, he could cook the dish, that's what he told me."

"Yeah, Sarutobi-sensei is legendary among the Akimichi clan. My dad actually learned several recipes from him during his genin years. But the thing that I remember most was sensei's fireball jutsu. He took me to the edge of a lake to show me, and the fireball was massive! It actually made a lot of the water evaporate. He always practices his fire jutsu next to a lake because he accidentally started a massive forest fire when he was a genin."

"When I become Hokage, I'm gonna use water jutsu to create giant lakes, and then everybody can practice fire jutsu without hurting trees!"

"That's actually a really good idea Naruto. It'll prevent shinobi from burning themselves, too. Sage knows shinobi already neglect their health. A lot of them avoid their annual check-ups, which is utterly ridiculous."

Finally, he had found people who treated him as a person, not a fox.

After the festivities had concluded for the day, he offered to help Sakura with the cleanup. She was against the idea at first. "You're the birthday boy!" But she caved under the pressure of his puppy eyes. Dishes were washed and tables were wiped.

He was just getting ready to leave when Sakura presented him with a black, leather-bound book.

-X-

The Sandaime Hokage was a wise man. He had lived far longer than a normal shinobi, and had seen his fair share. Three shinobi world wars. In his mind's eye, he could picture the faces of those he had sent to their death. The guilt weighed down on him. Some nights, he would wake up in a cold sweat, haunted by faceless ghosts - those unknown people that had been trampled by Konoha's warpath. Biwako would comfort him, hold him as he shook. But Biwako was gone now.

He did all in his power to keep his village out of war. He had had enough of the death and destruction that war inevitably brought. Unfortunately, his wisdom was failing him at the moment.

Behind him, Uchiha Shisui kneeled as he made his report. The genius was a member of Anbu, yet, in many ways, he was just a frightened teenager. This teenager, conflicted between his loyalty to his clan and his loyalty to his village, had seen the battles of the Third Shinobi World War. He, also, wanted peace. This was why he had revealed the Uchiha clan's betrayal.

The Uchiha, isolated and feared after the Kyūbi attack, had finally decided to take action against the village. A coup. Civil war threatened to tear Konoha apart, but it was the consequences of such a war that would be devastating. No doubt, Iwa and Kumo would attack, sensing Konoha's weakness. Iwa, for its unresolved grudges from the last war. Kumo, for a chance to take some of Konoha's prized kekkei genkai. It wouldn't be a far stretch to say that the two shinobi villages might even form an alliance to take down their common enemy. Konoha would fall. It would burn, its walls breached. The village, already battered and divided by an internal war, would be easy prey.

As much as the Sandaime wanted peace, he could see no peaceful solution to his present dilemma. If only Minato were here. He would know what to do. His wife, Kushina, had been close friends with the matriarch of the Uchiha clan. No doubt, they would have worked out a solution. Perhaps, even averted the possibility of a coup before the Uchiha started planning one. But Minato and Kushina were both gone, leaving behind a son who lived with the hatred of Konoha's villagers.

No, he couldn't be distracted by the past. He had to decide how to preserve Konoha's future.

"The possibility of a coup presents a grave danger to the village. Can the leaders of the clan be persuaded to take a more peaceful course of action?"

Sarutobi could imagine the agony in Shisui's eyes.

"I do not believe they can be persuaded. They are very set in their ways, and they aim to restore the clan to its former greatness, a greatness suitable for one of the founding clans of the village." He paused, as if debating whether to reveal more information.

"There is another option," Shisui started hesitantly. "I have a special ocular ability, the Kotoamatsukami. It grants me the ability to cast a powerful mind-control genjutsu on a subject. If this ability is used on Uchiha Fugaku, he may be able to advocate for a peaceful solution, and war would be averted. Additionally, Uchiha Itachi is opposed to the coup. As the clan heir and a prodigy, he has significant influence within the clan. The clan head and the clan heir, working together, have a greater chance of convincing the elders. However, this would only work if the village makes more attempts to integrate the Uchiha into Konoha's affairs."

It certainly seemed to be the best course of action. It required little bloodshed. In a few years, the elders of the clan would die naturally, and they would take their outdated ambitions of power with them. By that point, the Uchiha would have become more accepted by the village, and there would be no mention of a coup.

Yet, from wisdom earned through three wars, Sarutobi knew better than to put his trust in a single plan. He trusted that Uchiha Shisui would be willing to do his job. In Shisui, he could see the Will of Fire held by Uchiha Kagami, but there were many factors that threatened the success of the plan. After all, the entire plan relied on Shisui's eyes. A slash of a kunai, and those eyes could be taken out.

"For now, continue your observation of the Uchiha. I want a detailed report weekly. I will immediately take action to increase the Uchiha's involvement in the village. If this does not work, then Kotoamatsukami may be considered."

He would avoid carrying out such a risky plan for now. It seemed that the Uchiha elders were the only ones who wholeheartedly supported the coup. Hopefully, the rest of the clan would see sense before they forced his hand. And, speaking of elders... He turned to face Shisui.

"Not a word of this to Shimura Danzō. Dismissed."

The Uchiha nodded before leaving in his signature Body Flicker.

Sarutobi sighed. What a headache. He was getting too old for this job. Again, he thought of Minato. Guilt hit him in waves. Minato's last wish. He had wanted his son to be a hero. He hadn't even managed to fulfill the wishes of the dead. How could he protect those still living?

A bright beacon of chakra moved into his sensory range. It was Naruto. Strange. Usually, it was Sarutobi who would visit Naruto. The boy rarely came to the Hokage Tower. Sarutobi wondered what he would be here for.

As a blonde-haired figure burst into his office, Sarutobi was sure that he would soon find his answer.

-X-

Naruto politely knocked on the door of the Hokage's office before running in. He figured that if Jiji was doing anything really important, he would've told him so.

"I've gotta whole lotta things to tell you, Jiji!"

In his left hand, he held a black book, and he waved the book excitedly as he started telling Jiji about the events of the past few weeks.

"So I made a lot of new friends! We've been practicing with shuriken and kunai in the mornings, and I'm doing a lot better in Weaponry now."

Sakura-chan had told him that he had been using the wrong form, and had told him to change a few wrist movements.

This new technique got his shuriken to fly straighter, and his accuracy had improved from 30% to 70%. Iruka-sensei had complimented him on his improvement in class, so he knew he was making progress.

"When she found out that I didn't have a birthday party, she gave me a surprise party," Naruto recounted happily. "All her friends came. We had tempura, sushi and ramen. And she gave me this!"

At this point, Naruto proudly held forth his book.

"I see your friend gave you a present. What's inside?" Jiji seemed genuinely curious.

"It has my family in it!"

At this, Jiji seemed to stiffen. His face held a look of surprise that quickly disappeared.

Pretending not to notice the behavior, Naruto flipped the book open to a random page. A photo of a blonde kunoichi took up a third of the sheet.

Under the photo, a small blurb described some of the woman's achievements.

 _One of the Sannin, Senju Tsunade is hailed as the greatest medical-nin in the world, having revolutionized Konoha's medical system in her youth. She is also a formidable kunoichi, having participated in the Second Shinobi World War, where she, along with her teammates, earned the name of Sannin. Tsunade is known for her enormous strength, which has supposedly allowed her to crush mountains with a single punch. She is related to the Uzumaki by way of her grandmother, Uzumaki Mito._

"I mean, I can't believe I'm related to one of the Sannin," Naruto chattered on as he flipped to another page.

Jiji seemed a bit more relaxed now.

A familiar red and white fan made an appearance.

 _The Uchiha clan is one of the two clans directly descended from the Sage, the other being the Senju clan. The Uchiha are known for their skill with fire release ninjutsu, as well as their dōjutsu, the Sharingan. These factors made them one of the strongest clans during the Warring States Period. Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama would eventually put aside the differences between their clans to establish Konohagakure, helping to end the Warring States Period. The Uchiha clan is very distantly related to the Uzumaki clan, as both clans are related to the Senju._

"I can't believe I'm related to that jerk Sasuke, either, but that means I have relatives right in my Academy class!"

A few more flips. A picture of a red-headed kunoichi.

 _Uzumaki Mito was a master of fūinjutsu and a powerful kunoichi. Born in Uzushiogakure, she moved to Konohagakure and married Senju Hashirama, the Shōdaime Hokage. During the Shōdaime's famous battle with Uchiha Madara, she used her skill with fūinjutsu to seal the Kyūbi within herself, becoming a jinchūriki. Her unique chakra also helped in successfully containing the tailed beast. Due to the Uzumaki clan's longevity, she lived to see the rule of the Sandaime._

"Hey, did you know her Jiji?" Naruto asked, an expectant look on his face.

Jiji's smile seemed strained. "Yes, she was a kind, strong woman. She attended my inauguration."

"So you knew my family," Naruto mused, observing Jiji's reaction. He could have imagined it, but he thought he saw a flicker of discomfort on Jiji's face.

He flipped a few more pages.

"This is my favorite page."

This one contained two pictures, side by side.

Jiji's face paled.

"They were my parents. Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato," he said quietly, though he was sure that Jiji heard every word. "You must have known them. When I was little, you said you didn't know who they were. Why didn't you tell me?"

His lips pressed into a thin line. He stared deep into Jiji's eyes, looking for an answer.

"Your father had many enemies, and your parentage was kept a secret to protect you."

But Naruto wasn't satisfied.

"Then why didn't you tell me I'm a jinchūriki? All this time, I thought that I was the person responsible for the hate. Why didn't you tell me it was because of the fox?"

He wasn't crying now. He had already shed all his tears when Sakura-chan had first explained it to him. Now his eyes only held a hard, accusing stare.

"I thought keeping it a secret would protect you. Your father wanted you to be a hero, but I have failed in carrying out his last wish." There was a look of deep regret on Jiji's face.

Naruto sighed. "I don't blame you, Jiji. You have a whole village to take care of, but you still visited me. I'm really glad you did that. I know you have to keep some secrets. But please don't lie to me."

"I'm sorry, Naruto," Jiji said.

He could hear the sincerity in that apology. But as Naruto left the office, he still couldn't shake off the sting of betrayal.


	13. Chapter 13

We've made it to lucky number 13! A big thanks to all the readers and reviewers who've stuck by this story so far.

I probably won't be able to update next week because of a massive load of schoolwork, so expect a new chapter during the second week of May.

With that said, enjoy the story.

* * *

There was a buzz of excitement in the school when Sakura arrived at school on a late October morning. From snatches of conversation, she had already figured out that some sort of event was going to take place after school later on in the week. Upper-years were whispering fervently in the halls. Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, she heard. The only who weren't going were ones who were planning to stay career genin, a third-year said.

Yet, she still had no clue what this event was. Her thoughts, which had previously been focused on half-seals, were now overtaken by curiosity.

The warning bell rang out. Only a few minutes before class. The halls quickly emptied, students still chatting about this mystery event. Great. Her only sources of information had left.

She trudged back to KHag, plopping down in her regular seat between Ino and Naruto. Tuning out the morning announcements, she turned her thoughts to ninjutsu training.

Assuming she could get the hang of a sealless Transformation within a few days, she would then move on to the Substitution and the Clone jutsu. With these basic ninjutsu under her belt, she would be ready to progress to basic elemental manipulation. Then again, there were so many aspects of these ninjutsu that she had yet to explore.

"I'd like to remind students that the Weapons Maintenance room is available for …"

She already knew that the Transformation could be used to permanently transform inanimate objects. The photos in Naruto's black book attested to that. But the intended use of the Transformation was to change the appearance of the user. Maybe she could tweak the jutsu a little so that she could change her own appearance without continuously having to feed more chakra into the jutsu.

"Weapons can be sharpened …"

And the Substitution. Mom had told her that it was possible to substitute with water. Would it be possible to substitute with air, too? Substitutions also left trace residues of chakra that could give away the user's location. Might she be able to find a way to remove these traces?

"Any trouble, and your privileges will be revoked …"

She had fewer ideas for the Clone jutsu, but she was excited to learn about water clones. Maybe earth clones, too. There was something to be said about strength in numbers.

Iruka-sensei cleared his throat, and Sakura's head snapped up. He only did that before truly important announcements.

"As you may have heard, an exciting event is occurring this Wednesday, right after the last period of the day. A ninjutsu expert from the Uchiha clan is giving a presentation in the training grounds right next to the building."

At this, the students burst into conversation, speculating on the identity of said Uchiha. Probably a veteran of the Second War, one student proposed. Maybe the heir, he's supposed to be a genius, right?

Sasuke had a smug grin on his face. He probably knew the identity of this mysterious ninjutsu expert.

"Quiet!"

The class fell silent, wary of Iruka-sensei's wrath.

"This presentation is only for second-years and up." His steely glare prevented all interruptions. "However, if you truly wish to attend, I can give you a pass. In fact, since most of you are probably itching to go, I already took the liberty of writing passes for all of you. I'll have them on my desk at the end of the day, and you can take one on your way out. If you lose it, you lose it. I'm not giving you another one."

"Thank you, Iruka-sensei," the class chorused. The man may have been strict, but no one could say he didn't care for his students.

Sakura looked to her right at the adjacent desk, where Shikamaru and Chōji were sitting. She raised an eyebrow in silent question. Chōji nodded enthusiastically, while Shikamaru gave a lazy shrug. Good. They were going.

She sat back in her chair. No doubt, Ino and Naruto would be going. They were already excitedly chatting about different types of fire jutsu. Sakura couldn't wait for Wednesday to come.

-X-

"You ready, Forehead?" The two Academy students faced each other solemnly in the center of the training ground, both decked out in sparring armor.

"Ready, Pig," Sakura replied as she held her hand up in the Seal of Confrontation.

"Begin!"

Sakura dashed into Ino's guard and would have landed a solid hit on her ribs if Ino hadn't used her elbow to block. The Yamanaka recovered and went on the offensive, forcing Sakura back.

It wasn't long before Sakura caught Ino's left fist, returning the favor with a left palm, aimed at the blonde's face. Ino moved her face out of the line of attack and retreated quickly with a sidewards jump.

On it went, exchanging blows and dodging, until Sakura surprised her friend with a combo that left her reeling. Unbalanced, Ino was unable to avoid the leg sweep that sent her tumbling to the ground.

Sakura helped her friend up, and they formed the Seal of Reconciliation.

"I knew you could do it Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Thanks a lot Naruto-kun," she said with a beam.

"Don't gloat too much, Forehead. That's only the second time you've beaten me," Ino grumbled, taking off her helmet.

"I know, I know. I've got a long way to go, and you've helped me get where I am," Sakura replied with a grateful smile.

"So, who's next?"

"Me, me!" Naruto volunteered.

Ten minutes later, Naruto was victorious, with Sakura lying on the ground in a sweaty heap.

"Your stamina is really good, Naruto-kun," she complimented as he helped her up.

"Really? Thanks, Sakura-chan," he replied, rubbing the back of his head.

Shikamaru found it safe to walk over at this point.

"We need to adjust your training plan," he announced as he joined the group.

"Up to now, you've been focusing on improving your ranking. However, I believe you've made enough progress in that area, and can now shift your attention to skills and techniques that will help you in your spar against Neji."

"OK. What's your plan?" she inquired curiously.

"There are two general scenarios that I see playing out. The first scenario, close-range or mid-range combat, is more advantageous for Neji. In this scenario, Neji is getting close enough for his Gentle Fist to be a threat. You can't effectively keep him away because you're either running out of weapons, or you have some chakra points blocked. These factors will prevent you from escaping, and make it harder to keep Neji at a distance. If Neji does manage to get close, he can use his superior speed to quickly get into your guard and close off most of your chakra points, thereby ending the spar. Therefore, to prepare for this situation, you'll have to focus on get-away and keep-away techniques that don't require chakra. I suggest improving your speed and reaction time, as well as focusing on your skill with long-range or close-range weapons."

"And the other scenario?"

"The other scenario, long-range combat, is more advantageous for you. In this scenario, you have successfully managed to gain your distance from Neji. His Byakugan will make it impossible for you to hide from him, but he won't be close enough to finish you off with his Gentle Fist. To prevent this situation from turning into a mid-range or close-range combat scenario, you need to use get-away and keep-away techniques that wear down Neji. I recommend using more chakra-based techniques in this situation, as those techniques won't have a large impact on your physical stamina, stamina that you need to conserve. There is a limitation imposed by your chakra capacity, though. You might need soldier pills or some other strategy to replenish your chakra."

"So what techniques do you suggest I learn?"

"I thought you'd never ask." There was a devious glint in his eyes.

He took out a storage scroll and placed it on the ground, unsealing a few books. He smiled to himself. Sakura had gotten them all into the habit of using storage scrolls.

"You'll need to drastically improve your speed with the help of this book."

Sakura stared at the title of the green book Shikamaru was pointing to. _Youthful Speed Training_. She gave Shikamaru a look of disbelief.

"Just trust me on this one. It gives you a speed training regimen and a template for weight seals. I'd suggest only using leg weights for now."

She seemed placated by the mention of seals.

"I also recommend learning how to throw senbon. They're harder to block. And learn how to infuse your weapons with poison."

"Poison!?"

"Just a paralytic one. Harmless. Make some pepper bombs and flash-bangs, too. Low-level explosive tags also. They'll slow him down. The recipe for the poison and its antidote is in there," he explained, gesturing to a purple book.

"Now techniques that use chakra. How many seals do you need for the Substitution jutsu?"

"One and a half, sometimes one."

"Get it down to zero. The Body Flicker Technique will be useful. Possibly set up some traps. Do you know how to make solid clones?"

"No."

"Work on elemental clones, then," he took a deep breath. "That's all for now. I don't want to overwhelm you."

He sealed the books, then handed the storage scroll to a wide-eyed Sakura.

"You can take these to help you."

Naruto and Ino were staring at him in surprise. They had never seen him in serious planning mode before.

Sakura thanked him and quickly scampered away before he could assign her even more techniques.

-X-

"Kotetsu-san! Teach me how to make a water clone!", Sakura yelled, running towards the two gate guards.

"You're late today, Sakura-chan," Kotetsu deflected. "On Mondays, you're supposed to get here about 10 minutes earlier."

"So are you going to teach me or not?" Sakura pressed, undeterred. "Don't avoid my question."

He was prepared for this day. He took a scroll out of a pocket of his vest, and unsealed a thick book.

"This is a book on water manipulation. It will not tell you how to form a water clone." At this, the excited grin fell off her face. "However, if you finish learning a few specific techniques, I'll consider teaching you the water clone jutsu. I've included the list of techniques on a piece of paper inside. Show the techniques to me within three weeks or I won't teach you about water clones. And don't tell anyone I gave you this book. You got it?"

She was already running away. "I got it! Thanks for the book, Kotetsu-san! I'll see you within three weeks!" she called over her shoulder.

Kotetsu sighed. "Kids these days have so much energy."

"Careful there, Kotetsu. You're making us sound old," Izumo cut in. "By the way, you didn't give her a book from the chūnin section of the library, did you?" he asked suspiciously.

Kotetsu's silence was telling enough.

"You know we could get in serious trouble for that. What if she's a spy, sent to steal village secrets?"

"She's no spy. I looked up her records. She was born in Konoha, and her parents are Konoha-nin. What's the real reason for your worries?" Kotetsu turned to look at his partner.

"She's learning all this at such an early age. If she makes a name for herself, there's no doubt that she's going to be recruited into Anbu. We're turning children into killers." There was a conflicted look in Izumo's lone visible eye.

"No, we're turning them into shinobi. We're helping her grow strong. You know she'll need all the help she can get if she's going to survive. It's a bloodbath out there. No place for unprepared kids in Konoha's system. The next war comes along, those who can't make it big become cannon fodder."

"I know," Izumo finally relented. "But I also know I'm not the only one who wishes it didn't have to be this way."

-X-

Sakura settled down on her bed, her trusty Takeshi-kun by her side. Before her was a pile of books. All of which she needed to take advantage of if she wanted to beat Neji. She began sorting the books into two categories: chakra and no chakra.

In the chakra pile she found the Body Flicker Technique, a book on the theory behind the Clone jutsu, Kotetsu's book on water manipulation, scrolls on half-seal theory written by the Nidaime Hokage, a few manuals on fūinjutsu traps, and her own notes on chakra control exercises.

In the no chakra pile she found a book about senbon, a scroll showing how to infuse weapons with poison, the purple book of poison recipes, a book about poisonous plants around Konoha, and last but not least, _Youthful Speed Training_.

She would first add water manipulation to her ninjutsu training, as she had a time limit of three weeks to learn those techniques. She took Kotetsu's book and placed it to the side. As for the techniques without chakra, she would work on senbon in the morning, and turn her attention to speed training in the afternoon.

Her priorities decided, she flipped to the table of contents in _Youthful Speed Training_. She might as well take a look at the weight seal while she had time.

Wow. This was genius. A circuit in the seal converted chakra into mass, and increased the density of the weight as more chakra was added. Another circuit converted the mass back into chakra. There were a few other strokes that she didn't fully understand, but she knew the seal was extremely well-designed. There was a certain elegance to its efficiency. She glanced at the footnotes. These seal designs were youthfully provided by my eternal rival, who youthfully requested that his identity be kept secret.

A rival of the author? Intrigued, Sakura turned to the back cover of the book to find the author's identity. She clapped her hands over her eyes. The cover was so bright! Were those supposed to be teeth? When she peeked between the gaps of her fingers, the blinding light had faded away to tolerable levels, leaving her wondering if it was possible or legal to cast genjutsu on books. She could now make out a man with a bowl cut giving a big thumbs-up, but he was obviously using a pseudonym. He called himself the Green Beast of Konoha. She frowned. Who, exactly, was the author?

Elsewhere in the village, Gai sneezed.

"Ah, you have bested me this time, my rival!" he lamented dramatically.

"You've never been able to beat me in staring contests, Gai."


	14. Chapter 14

With essays to write and finals coming closer, I'm afraid that the update schedule will be thrown out the window. Updates will be sporadic, if they occur at all.

Thanks to all my readers and reviewers. Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Uchiha Himari was no fool. She knew the members of her clan looked down upon her. All because she didn't have those characteristic red eyes. A genetic defect, the doctors had determined.

She didn't see what was so important about the Sharingan. Sharingan, Sharingan. Plenty of shinobi got along just fine without one. You are an Uchiha, they had said. Without the Sharingan, you are a failure, she had been told.

Well, she had proved them wrong. Despite the lack of a Sharingan, she was one of the best ninjutsu users in Konoha. They couldn't argue with that.

And now she was being asked to teach a bunch of Academy students. She was on leave right now after a stint in Anbu, and being surrounded by kids who were easily impressed by giant fireballs wasn't the worst thing she could do during her break. Her parents hadn't approved.

"Why would you want to be around those silly children when you could be practicing a new technique?"

They had never been able to stop her from doing anything before, and they couldn't stop her now. They knew that. Her parents were only trying to look out for her, in their own roundabout way.

She would never be respected by the Uchiha as long as she didn't have a Sharingan. Hanging out with "snot-nosed brats" would lower her status even more, especially since most of them were so-called "outsiders". She scoffed mentally. There was nothing wrong with being a kid. Everyone was a kid at some point. And there was nothing wrong with being a non-Uchiha. In fact, she rather envied them, especially civilians. Civilians never had to deal with shinobi clan politics.

Now, what should she do for her entrance? It had to be really dramatic. Grab their attention. And there were a lot of clan kids, so she had to do something that would impress even them. An idea suddenly occurred to her. She knew what she could do.

-X-

"Are you OK, Sakura?" Chōji asked, his face scrunched with worry.

"Yeah. I'm OK. I just need to take a little breather," she replied, touched by his concern.

Sakura was currently standing on the track in the Academy training grounds. She had just finished her laps, lagging far behind the rest of the class. Chōji had volunteered to stay and run with her.

Sakura took the opportunity to stretch a little. Out on the track, the slowest students in their PA class were still running.

"I'm just a little worn out by my training yesterday," she explained.

Chōji nodded in sympathy. Sakura's hard days were on Tuesdays and Fridays. When she had first begun her training at the beginning of the month, she had barely been able to walk after her hard days. PA on Wednesdays had been absolute torture for her.

As they walked to the field to join the rest of the class, Sakura scowled at the weight seals on her legs. It was all their fault. They made her sore. They made her slow. They made her irritable.

She blinked as her thoughts caught up with her. Was she really getting angry at inanimate objects? Sakura sighed as she began doing push-ups. There should have been more books about the mental aspects of training. How to keep going when you were feeling down. How to continue walking forward when you weren't making any progress.

There were stories about legendary battles, but nothing about the obstacles the legends had to go through to get as strong as they were. If only training could be as glorious as the montages in movies.

-X-

"You can't watch," the Academy sensei said with a hint of derision.

"I have a pass!" Naruto cried. He knew he was a little late, but he was determined to meet the ninjutsu expert.

"It looks like the signature was forged." The sensei turned away from him in favor of answering another student's question.

Naruto seethed. He knew that people didn't like him because of the fox, but he hadn't realized that it extended to Academy instructors as well. He had really been lucky to have Iruka-sensei as a teacher. While Iruka-sensei never approved of his pranks, he had never looked at him with such disdain, like he was worth less than the gum on the bottom of a muddy shoe. He stormed away from the scene. If Uzumaki Naruto wouldn't be allowed in, then he wouldn't be Uzumaki Naruto.

A few hand seals gave him mousy brown hair, a wider nose, and a tanned face. A few inches had been added to his height, and his appearance favored that of a tall, thin reed. He pulled out a pair of fake glasses and settled them on the bridge of his nose to complete the look. Now he was just another regular Academy student.

He strolled into the Academy training grounds without any interference, and couldn't resist shooting a triumphant smirk at the back of the sensei who had tried to stop him. His spirits lifted, he made his way over to his friends. Sakura's bright pink hair was easily visible amongst a sea of brunettes and blondes.

Shikamaru glanced up as he moved closer, and gestured for the group to make room for him. His friends were unbothered as he sat down. They were used to his frequent use of the Transformation jutsu.

The crowd of students was gathered in a semicircle around the center of the training grounds. All were excited for the upcoming spectacle. Practically the entire school was there.

Suddenly, a burst of chakra emanated from the center of the circle. There were a few yelps of surprise, and the students fell silent. A giant flame raged within the circle, almost blinding in its intensity, before slowly dying down to reveal a dark-haired kunoichi in the center.

His mouth was hanging open. That was so cool!

Ino and Chōji were both staring in amazement. Even Shikamaru's face had on a look of awe, in contrast to his usual lazy disposition. Sakura was … taking notes?

"OK kids! My name is Uchiha Himari, and today, you guys are going to witness all five types of elemental ninjutsu! Prepare to be rocked!" The ninjutsu expert, now revealed to be Uchiha Himari, had a brilliant smile on her face, her posture relaxed. The last flickers of the flame were slowly disappearing, giving her a yellowish glow.

She quickly started forming hand seals, and Naruto noticed that she was wearing black fingerless gloves.

"You've just seen fire, so I'll show you the power of wind," she stated. Her voice, filled with confidence, echoed over the quiet training ground.

The unfortunate recipient of the attack, a training dummy, received several deep gashes before finally being blown away by the force of the wind.

"Wind jutsu are used to cut and slash. They're strong against lightning, but weak against fire," Himari lectured as her attack died out. "It's rare for people in Konoha to be born with an affinity for wind, but not impossible. Wind jutsu can also be used in combination with fire jutsu to increase the strength of the fire technique."

Himari then continued through the natures, demonstrating a jutsu and providing information about each element.

Naruto watched raptly. As the future Hokage, he had to do his best to master as many ninjutsu as possible. When he got home, he was going to find his elemental affinity, and he was going to start training right away!

He frowned then. He knew he needed special paper to find his affinity, but he had no idea where to get them.

"You can to to Pointed Weapons to get chakra paper. Himari-sensei might have some, too. You should ask her," Sakura answered his question.

Had he spoken out loud?

Himari had finished her demonstrations, and most of the spectators were heading home now. A few ambitious students, including Sakura, had stayed behind to ask questions. If Sakura was doing it, then he could do it too!

Naruto stood up and stretched. It felt weird, keeping up a transformation for this long. He walked towards Himari and waited patiently for his turn.

"Do you have any more chakra paper, Himari-sensei?" She had used a piece of chakra paper during her demonstration, but he didn't know if she had any other sheets.

Himari looked pleasantly surprised.

"Yeah, I have some." She paused to fish a sheet of paper out of one of the pockets in her jōnin vest. "Not a lot of people have asked, kid." She paused. "You need a key, too."

Naruto was finally gifted with two items: a key and a sheet of chakra paper.

"Have fun, train hard, and avoid chakra exhaustion, kay?" she said with a wink.

"Thanks, Himari-sensei!"

It felt good to be treated nicely.

He held his transformation until he got to a secluded training ground. A twist of his chakra and he was back to Uzumaki Naruto.

Sakura had explained the usage of the chakra paper to him, so he put a bit of his chakra into his paper. The side closest to him split in half, while the other side became damp. After sensei's demonstrations, he was pretty sure he knew what affinities these matched up with, but he checked the key just in case.

Aha. He knew it. Wind and water. He knew Sakura also had a water affinity. And didn't Himari say that wind affinities were rare? He felt special. A rare affinity. Him.

As he went to stuff the key back into his pocket, he saw a few words written on the back.

He inspected the key yet again.

 _Your transformation is very good._

He flushed. She knew! Of course, it was probably hard to fool a ninjutsu expert, but … wait. That meant she probably knew who he was. And she hadn't yelled at him. She had helped him.

Somebody had acknowledged him.

The dream of Hokage seemed closer than ever.

-X-

Faster… Faster… Sakura panted in exhaustion as she willed her burning legs to move. She was only halfway through her usual run, and her body seemed to be giving up on her. The weights would make her runs more difficult, she had known that, but she hadn't anticipated this!

Three-quarters through her usual run, she finally threw in the towel and collapsed against the trunk of a tree, breathing a sigh of relief as she felt the tension leave her legs. Deactivating the chakra-suppression seals, she directed chakra to her right leg. Thank Sage for chakra.

She knew she shouldn't rely on chakra during her physical conditioning. That's why she used chakra-suppression seals in the first place. But desperate times called for desperate measures.

When she finally made her way back to the training ground, she was mentally debating whether to continue. It was all too common for shinobi to overdo their training, and she didn't want to get into the habit of pushing herself to injury.

Then again, the next part of her training might be a little easier. She saw Naruto sitting in a corner of the field, meditating.

Sakura thought she would never see the day when Naruto would stand still, but he had avidly thrown himself into ninjutsu training as soon as he had found out his affinities less than an hour ago.

Well, with Naruto trying so hard, there was no way she was going to give up. She had rested for a couple of minutes by now, and the throbbing in her legs had gone down, so that was a plus.

Sakura gleefully removed the weight seals and stood up. And she ran. She felt so much faster without the weights! But how much faster? After timing a few sprints, she was disheartened. She hadn't gotten faster, she had gotten slower. Konoha wasn't built in a day, she berated herself. Her body was still aching after carrying around the extra weight. It was only after sufficient recovery that she would bounce back faster than ever.

She continued her conditioning, grateful for her freedom from the dreaded weights.

A sense of contentment filled her as she finished her last rep. Of course, she still had her cool-down, but she had finished her first day of conditioning with weights! She felt positively giddy with success.

Naruto walked over during her cool-down, finished with his meditation.

"Sakura-chan, do you think people can be mean and kind at the same time?"

She frowned in thought. "Yeah, people can definitely be mean and kind at the same time. For example, look at a shinobi killing an enemy. They're definitely being mean to the enemy, but they're taking those actions so they can protect their comrades, so they're being kind to their friends," she explained.

"OK. Thanks, Sakura-chan," Naruto mumbled, drifting into deep thought once again.

What had he been thinking about?

-X-

"So, how'd it go?"

"How'd what go? You ought to be more specific with your questions." She loved teasing him.

"You know what I mean." He was pouting. She knew he was pouting. She could hear it in his voice.

"It went really well. The kids loved me. It's to be expected, though. Kids know awesomeness when they see it."

"Are you implying that I'm not awesome? I'm hurt, Himari-chan," he said, holding a hand to his chest.

"The only thing that's hurt is your ego, Shisui-kun" she shot back.

"You're so mean!" he accused, childishly pointing a finger in her direction.

"It's in my nature, Sui-kun." Her teasing grin slipped from her face. "You actually think this is going to help prevent the coup?"

A moment of silence. "It can't make the situation any worse," he replied softly. "If we make the Uchiha seem more human, the village's opinion of the clan will start to change, and maybe the elders will stop pushing forward with their ridiculous plan. They'll bring war to Konoha if they aren't stopped."

Sensing the darkening mood, Himari quickly stepped in. "Man, I'm really hungry. Those ninjutsu took a big bite out of my chakra. Speaking of bites, I know that someone promised to take me to an Akimichi restaurant," she said, turning to shoot a devious smile at Shisui.

Shisui gulped nervously. His poor wallet was already crying.


	15. Chapter 15

I've been having a hard time getting into the swing of writing, so this chapter is shorter than usual. I am still aiming to finish this story, but don't expect regular updates.

* * *

Neji walked towards the gate of the Hyūga compound, a few bento boxes in hand. The guards were usually famished by the time morning rolled around, so he had made a habit of bringing extra food for them. The cooks, who had always looked out for him, were happy to give him leftovers. And there were always leftovers to spare. The cooks prepared food for the main branch, after all. His uncle and cousins gorged themselves on food while others starved. Just the mere thought of them made his teeth clench in anger. They weren't much better than him. Yet they enjoyed all the privileges of nobility while the rest of the clan worked as servants.

Once, he had been blissfully unaware of the mess that he had been born into. But not now. Now he could see everything. The fearful stillness that settled into place whenever a main member approached. The pieces of cloth that hid the despicable seals from view. The suffering of his fellow branch members. He couldn't do a thing to stop it. He had no power. For he, too, was a branch member.

Soon after he handed the boxes of food to the grateful guards, he started his routine trek to the Academy. Signs of fall jumped out at him, temporarily lifting his spirits. His classmates joked that his favorite season was winter because he was always frosty, but that was untrue. Fall was his favorite, with spring coming in second place. The leaves were beautiful this time of year. Oranges, reds, yellows, pink… Pink? Oh, it was that eyesore, Haruno Sakura.

He scowled. She was unfit to be a shinobi. What kind of shinobi had pink hair anyways? Not to mention, she wasn't from any notable shinobi clan. Practically civilian in his opinion. The girl had no business in a school for dedicated trainees of the shinobi way. She was destined to be a shopkeeper, or maybe a banker, just as he had been destined from birth to be someone else's tool. But she had challenged both him and his beliefs. And as much as Neji had been tempted to let her fade into the background of his thoughts, her challenge had stirred something within him. He did not know what that something was, but he did know that it motivated him to periodically check the first-year rankings.

So Neji found himself standing in front of the rankings bulletin board. First-year names took up two sheets. Rows upon rows of names and numbers. The five names at the top were typed in a larger font, and Neji briefly scanned over them. He tried to ignore the disappointment that came when he didn't find Haruno's name. Her name had never appeared in the top five, and it probably never would. He didn't know why he expected anything else. Turning to leave for class, he stopped when he caught a few kanji caught his attention. He looked back to check what he had seen. She was in eighth place.

Eighth place, huh? He chuckled quietly to himself. So she was keeping her end of the bargain. This was turning out to be more interesting than he thought.

-X-

"Sakura-chan! I need your help!"

Sakura closed her book on water manipulation and stood to face her hyperactive friend.

"What is it, Naruto?"

Naruto almost never tried to ask her for help. He always tried to figure things out by himself. She guessed that this independence had come with being alone for so long. Her heart twisted. But she couldn't fix the past. All she could change was the future.

So she listened patiently as Naruto explained his problem.

"I can't do the Clone jutsu, dattebayo!" he shouted in frustration. "Every time I try to do it, my clone ends up looking half-dead!" he continued, waving his arms around in emphasis. "I can't be Hokage if I don't learn this jutsu, Sakura-chan!"

She nodded in understanding, then asked him to attempt the technique.

Naruto scrunched his forehead in concentration. Taking a deep breath, he began to form the appropriate hand seals. There was a large poof of smoke, and a washed-out version of Naruto was visible for a few seconds before it faded from existence.

Rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, he shot an apprehensive glance at her, as if he was afraid she would laugh at his performance.

Sakura stared at the fading cloud of smoke in deep thought. What could have caused this to happen? She thought back to October, when she had first started learning the Clone jutsu. Naruto had performed the correct hand seals, so it couldn't have been that. Maybe he was using the wrong balance of spiritual and physical energy?

Once Naruto was sure she wasn't going to make fun of him, he relaxed visibly, shoulders released from their tense position. He readily repeated the jutsu several more times with different amounts of spiritual and physical energy, all to no avail. The best he ever got was the same washed-out apparition that had appeared the first time around.

Sakura observed the jutsu attempts patiently. So it wasn't the balance of chakra that was the problem. What else did the Clone jutsu require? She wracked her brain for possible answers. Naruto was extremely proficient in the Transformation jutsu, so whatever he was doing only affected the Clone jutsu negatively.

Another large poof of chakra smoke signalled an attempt. Strange. That had never happened when she performed the jutsu. Then again, maybe she needed a refresher on the Clone jutsu. It had been at least two days since she'd last performed it.

Chakra flowed in a familiar pattern, hand seals now unnecessary, as she formed a clone of her own. Her doppelganger appeared with nary a sound, and there was no chakra smoke in sight.

Chakra smoke. Maybe that was it. When had chakra smoke appeared during her ninjutsu practices? It took her a while before she arrived at the answer. Chakra smoke was always generated when excess chakra was poured into a jutsu. Not enough chakra, and the jutsu wouldn't work at all. Too much chakra, and the jutsu malfunctioned. Of course, this problem wouldn't apply to the Transformation, because the Transformation jutsu was one of the few jutsu that became stronger when it was overpowered with a vast input of chakra. On the other hand, the Clone jutsu, like most other jutsus, was affected negatively by similar overflows. The problem could be fixed by a decrease in chakra input.

A possible solution found, she advised Naruto to put less chakra into his jutsu.

He nodded enthusiastically, glad that he now had a direction to head towards. As he put less chakra into the jutsu, his clones steadily became more stable.

"Thanks a lot for the help, Sakura-chan!" He gave her a bear hug before running off to continue his training.

How he had so much energy was beyond her. Shaking her head, she returned to her book. _One of the most basic exercises involves drawing water out of a leaf…_

-X-

Inoichi padded quietly through the hallway, hoping to surprise his daughter. Usually, he would be at T&I by now, but he had a rare day off from work, and he wanted to spend some time with his family.

The jōnin could sense Ino's familiar chakra emanating from the backyard. That was strange. Ino usually preferred to spend her Sunday mornings tending to the flowers in the shop, or helping her mother prepare lunch. Occasionally, she would head over to a friend's house.

So why was she in the yard? She couldn't be picking flowers for a floral arrangement.

There were few flowers in their yard, a fact that Ino often lamented. _We have a flower shop, for Sage!_ Maybe she was watering the garden? No, that couldn't be it. She always did that in the afternoons. He found himself running out of reasons.

When he opened the door to the yard, a broad grin stretched across his face. Ino was sitting under the shade of the lone tree, meditating. For years, he had tried to get her to join him in his meditation sessions, but she had always refused. _It's so boring, Dad!_ He had finally managed to get through to her.

His little girl was finally growing up. He remembered it like it was yesterday. She was so small when she was born, so fragile. He had almost been afraid to hold her, afraid he would accidentally break her. Inoichi was a trained killer after all. But she didn't break. She grew up with so much energy, always running around, driving her mother crazy, fussing over the flowers in the shop. In a few years, she would graduate from the Academy, and begin her rise through the ranks.

Inoichi's grin faded. She would have to be strong. For the sake of the Yamanaka clan. _I'm sorry I passed this burden onto you, Ino, but I'll make sure you grow strong enough to carry its weight._


	16. Chapter 16

Sorry about the lack of updates. The workload for school has been tough, but I managed to cobble this chapter together. The next update will *hopefully* be sometime around the end of this month. Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Sakura stared at the leaf in the center of her right palm. She had followed the instructions in Kotetsu's book to the letter. She could clearly sense the water in the leaf. But she could not control it. Regardless of how much she pushed, prodded, and poked with her chakra, the water in the leaf would not budge.

She scowled. The leaf was mocking her, she was sure of it.

"I'll show you who's boss!" she declared, the sudden proclamation startling the birds resting in the trees nearby.

She focused intently on the leaf, felt the water in the veins, pushed at it with her chakra… and… nothing.

Motivation draining out of her, the girl flopped down on the ground in a mixture of frustration and disappointment, her mind wandering to Konoha's many tree-related training exercises.

From the leaf-sticking exercise taught in the Academy, to the tree-climbing exercise, and the leaf-drying exercise she was currently learning, Konohagakure really did a lot to incorporate its namesake into the lives of its shinobi.

She had mastered the first two exercises easily, but this one really seemed to stump her. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't seem to make any progress.

She yelped as a shuriken thudded into a nearby tree and sprang to her feet, kunai in hand.

"Wake up, Forehead! This is no time for a nap!"

She lowered her kunai warily. She had forgotten that Ino had been training on the opposite side of the clearing. Mentally, she berated herself. Shinobi were always supposed to be aware of their surroundings. She couldn't let herself get caught off guard.

"You could have taken my head off with that shuriken, Pig!" she yelled.

Ino scoffed. "My aim's better than that, and you know it too, Forehead. What's gotten you stumped?"

"Stumped? I'm not stumped, just taking a break."

Her friend gave her a look of disbelief. "Right. And I'm a six-headed dragon."

Sakura huffed. "OK. You're right. I have no clue how to do this leaf-drying exercise."

"So where are you stuck?"

Sakura described the exercise to her, and recounted each of her failed attempts.

"I think you're trying too hard."

"What!?"

"Let me explain," Ino interjected, holding up a hand to stop her complaints. "You're trying so hard to do what you want to do that you're not listening to the water. My dad explained it to me like this: If you create the element, it already has your chakra in it, so it's easy to control, but naturally existing sources of the element, like the water in that leaf, have to be mixed with your chakra. I bet that you're trying so hard to move the water that you didn't even add your chakra first."

Sakura blinked once, twice, before Ino's words fully sank in. She groaned. "I'm such an idiot. I can't believe I forgot that! It was in the first chapter, and I got so preoccupied with-"

"Hold on a second," Ino interrupted. "You're not an idiot. You're one of the smartest people I know. And as a smart person, you're not going to waste time beating yourself up, right?"

Sakura stared at her friend. "You are a manipulative person."

Ino gave her a wide grin. "It's my family's specialty. Now go off and do some cool water ninjutsu."

-X-

Sakura groaned. Her legs were on fire from trudging around all day with weight seals. Normally, she would have used chakra to alleviate the pain, but she needed to conserve chakra for her upcoming ninjutsu practice.

After mastering the leaf-drying exercise, she had progressed quickly. Now she knew how to create water from her own chakra, though the amount she could create was limited by her small reserves. Even more exciting was her recently-acquired ability to control increasing amounts of natural sources of water, found in ponds or streams. She knew that the water clone jutsu would require less chakra if she utilized existing sources of water, so she was definitely heading in the right direction.

However, Training Ground 5, where her match with Neji would take place, had no such source of water readily available. Sure, she could extract water from the surrounding trees, but that took much longer, and required more concentration to boot. It would be wonderful if she somehow managed to gain access to a sizeable amount of water without using up her chakra, but how?

The training ground came into view.

She plopped down in the middle of the training ground, lying on her back to see the twinkling stars above. The sight temporarily distracted her, and she found herself feeling at peace. Ninjutsu practice could wait a little.

A bird screeched, tearing her attention away from the night sky, and the soreness came back full force. She really did not want to get up right now. Maybe she would relax for a while, then start training. Yes. That sounded like a solid plan. She fell asleep within a few minutes.

-X-

A tap on her shoulder. "Just a few more minutes, Mom," she muttered in response. She rolled onto her side, reaching blindly with her right arm. Where was Takeshi-kun? Come to think of it, her mattress felt particularly firm. Did she roll off her bed?

"I'm not your mom, though I could probably find her for you if she's in the village."

Unfamiliar voice. Danger. She jackknifed upright and leapt to her feet, body automatically settling in the basic stance for Rapid Contact. A tall shinobi wearing a Konoha jōnin flak jacket came into view, holding both hands up in a placating gesture. She relaxed slightly. Then she took the time to think about her predicament, and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She had fallen asleep in a training ground. She had slept right through the arrival of a strange shinobi (he wasn't dangerous, but she really needed to work on her sensing). And her actions had been witnessed by a Konoha jōnin.

 _By sage, she had called him "Mom"._

To say she was mortified was an understatement.

"I-I'm r-really sorry shinobi-san," she stammered out an apology, hating the way she stuttered. "I'll -uh- be leaving now."

She turned to grab her pack and get out of dodge, but her legs, protesting against her recent activity, decided they didn't want to move. In fact, they decided to go on strike.

As her legs gave out underneath her, Sakura realized her momentum would cause her to faceplant. She resisted the urge to throw out her hands to catch herself- she would only injure her wrists- and decided to land in a roll when she realized she was no longer falling.

"Thanks a lot, shinobi-san," she said, thankfully with no stutter, as he lowered her to the ground slowly.

"Do you need medical attention?"

She blinked, caught off guard by the question.

"I should be fine after some rest. I just need to take off my weights."

He observed her intently as she made to remove her weight seals.

"Where did you get those weights?"

Again with the unexpected questions.

"I made them myself. I found the seal array in a book," she answered with a hint of pride.

She had a feeling he was surprised by her response, for he remained silent as she withdrew the chakra from the weights, making them lighter.

Sakura then directed chakra to her legs, easing her sore muscles.

She slowly got up, testing her legs. When she found she could stand, she turned to the shinobi to thank him again, but was met with empty air. The man had disappeared.

Unsure what to make of this strange turn of events, she trudged home to a proper bed.

-X-

As Shikaku walked into the jōnin lounge, he encountered quite an unexpected sight. Izumo and Kotetsu were talking heatedly with Ebisu. The presence of the two chūnin in and of itself wasn't that surprising. The Sandaime regularly sent them to the lounge as messengers, usually to summon jōnin for a mission. The fact that they were semi-arguing with Ebisu wasn't that surprising, either. Ebisu was a good shinobi, but he had a… particular set of views that he stubbornly held to. Genma, who had been on Ebisu's genin team, had once joked that it was easier to learn the Fourth Hokage's teleportation technique than to convince Ebisu to change his mind.

No, what was really surprising was that Izumo had involved himself in the conversation. Usually, Kotetsu would be the one to get roped into some debate or another, and Izumo would stand by his side with a long-suffering look until he finally ran out of steam. But now, Izumo was standing tensely, tag-teaming with Kotetsu against the unconvinced Ebisu. It was this uncharacteristic behavior that led Shikaku to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"I'm telling you the truth! This girl can perform the Transformation with one hand seal!" Kotetsu said with a mix of exasperation and frustration.

"That's impossible. Kids that age simply don't have the chakra control necessary to reduce the number of hand seals to just one. They might be able to take off one at the end, or use the same number of half-seals, but what you've just described is unfeasible."

"It's true," Izumo interjected. "I've seen her do it with my own two eyes. No genjutsu."

Ebisu opened his mouth to retort, but Shikaku had heard enough to get the gist of what was going on. They were talking about Haruno Sakura.

Shikamaru had mentioned his classmate's bet with one Neji Hyūga, and how they had all pitched in to help her prepare for the match. He had also offhandedly mentioned her proficiency with the basic Academy ninjutsu, a fact which had initially surprised even Shikaku himself. It wasn't exactly unusual for children her age to perform ninjutsu. Shikaku himself had taught Shikamaru the most basic of the Nara jutsu a little bit before he had entered the Academy. The chakra control required to reduce the number of hand seals- now that was a different story. Even jōnin had a hard time reducing hand seals for all but their most frequently used techniques. His son had no reason to lie, though, so Shikaku had come to the conclusion that Sakura already had enough control to learn subtle genjutsu or even medical ninjutsu. It was impressive for someone who didn't have the support of a well-established shinobi clan.

In the end though, Shikaku was most grateful for her influence on his son. Shikamaru had begun taking his studies much more seriously. He would spar with his friends (and Shikaku wasn't sure how he felt about his son training with the village pariah, but no harm had come about, so he would let it slide), willingly practice his shadow techniques, and inquire about the clan's medicine recipes.

Shikaku sighed quietly as he left the lounge. For future shinobi, there was a careful balance between a childhood and preparation for the dangers that awaited outside Konoha's walls. He only hoped that his son would experience more of the former before he needed to become consumed by the latter.


	17. Chapter 17

Again, a little on the short side. Midterms are coming up soon, so I most likely won't update within the next month.

I'd also like to thank all my readers, and I wish you all a happy New Year.

* * *

Kotetsu yawned. Gate duty sure was boring. Normally, he would have found a way to keep himself entertained, but there hadn't been much activity at the gates today. So far, three teams had been dispatched on missions, while only two had returned. He glanced across at his partner to see that his old friend was also experiencing the tell-tale signs of boredom. Izumo was slouched in his chair, lazily gazing skyward, hands fiddling with a kunai- an old habit that he had never been able to drop.

Kotetsu deliberated over whether to start a conversation. On the one hand, he felt a general lack of motivation to do anything, much less talk. On the other hand, standing here watching the gates was really boring. After a few moments, he reached a decision, and was about to open his mouth when he saw Izumo's posture straighten.

"Sakura-san's heading this way. Thought you might want to know."

Kotetsu blinked. He knew his partner had sensory abilities, but Sakura should have been halfway across the village at this point- far outside Izumo's normal range.

"Say, have you been working on your sensing recently?"

Izumo hummed affirmatively. "Thought it would be more entertaining than just sitting here looking at the gates all day long."

Kotetsu's eyes widened. "So, just now, you were practicing your sensing?"

"Yes," Izumo responded with a grin. "I had you fooled, didn't I?"

"You did. Now I just have to figure out a way to one-up you," Kotetsu thought out loud, tapping a finger on his chin. "Maybe I'll start working on an A-rank water jutsu, what do you think?"  
"I think that would be impressive, but you don't need to start training on my account."

Kotetsu scoffed. "As if I would let you improve while I'm sitting on my laurels."  
"She's about 30 seconds away."

Kotetsu rolled his eyes. "Show-off." A few seconds later, he added, "Thanks for the update."

True to Izumo's prediction, Haruno Sakura burst onto the scene half a minute later. Her entrance was actually eerily similar to Gai's entrances, Kotetsu mused, minus the blinding smiles, the sunset, and the perpetual talk of youth.

"I've done everything you asked, so you have to teach me the water clone jutsu!" Sakura exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement.

"Now slow down young lady," Kotetsu interjected before she barrelled on, "I'll have to see your accomplishments firsthand before showing you anything."

Sakura pouted. "You don't trust me?"

Kotetsu smiled good-naturedly. "I'm a shinobi, brat. Not exactly the best profession to be blindly giving out trust."

"Yes, but you know me. You know I wouldn't lie," Sakura reasoned while giving him her best puppy-eyes look.

Kotetsu shot her an unimpressed look. "Any particular reason you don't want to show me the techniques?"

"Well, if I perform the techniques, I won't have enough chakra left to attempt the water clone jutsu. I've read enough literature to estimate the chakra expenditure for that jutsu, and I think I only have enough juice to attempt it maybe 4 or 5 times on a full tank. Any chakra-based techniques I use now will cut into the reserves I need for the jutsu."

"Okay, I'll show you the technique."

Sakura blinked owlishly, taken aback by the sudden lack of resistance. "That's it? You're not going to make me demonstrate even one technique?"

"Yeah, I know your personality and you wouldn't show up if you hadn't mastered each and every one."

"But what about your whole spiel about shinobi not trusting people?"

"That was a sentence, not a spiel," Kotetsu retorted.

"Fine, you win," Sakura relented, throwing her hands up in defeat.

"T & I, kid. It's in my job description to play mind games. So do you want to learn or not?"

"Of course I want to learn!" she exclaimed, her excitement now back in full force.

Kotetsu chuckled. "That's the spirit!"

He stood up from his chair, stretching his limbs. "We'll need to stay here, though. My shift isn't over yet, and there's supposed to be two chūnin at the gate at every moment."

The Academy student nodded in understanding.

"First, the hand seals. This will probably be the simplest part."

He brought his hands up into the Tiger seal.

Sakura looked underwhelmed. "That's it? Only one seal?"  
"I did tell you it was the easiest part. Hand seals do lengthen the amount of time needed to execute jutsu, but they also guide the flow of your chakra. With so few hand seals, you'll need to manipulate your chakra in exactly the right pattern to successfully perform the jutsu. No relying on hand seals to direct your chakra. Besides, with your proficiency with the regular clone jutsu, you should have a good foundation for making clones in general, so you shouldn't have that much trouble learning this jutsu."

"Thanks for doing all of this."

"No problem, kid." He straightened, his face becoming serious. "The next part is the most crucial one: the chakra pattern. So what you do is…"

-X-

"Thanks a lot for teaching me this technique, Kotetsu," Sakura said with a bow, "I know I've said it before, but I really do appreciate you taking the time to do this."

"No need to be so formal. I said I would teach you if you learned the assigned techniques, so I kept my word."

Sakura was hardly the worst student to be teaching. After half an hour of practicing the chakra pattern, Kotetsu had deemed her ready to attempt the technique. This happily coincided with the end of his shift, so the three of them (Kotetsu, Izumo, and Sakura) had headed to a nearby training ground to obtain a source of water. A small river provided the water for her first attempt, and, to Kotetsu's surprise, the water clone had actually taken on a humanoid shape before it collapsed back into the river. After a few more attempts and a little troubleshooting, the water had taken on the right form, but lacked color, and could only be maintained for a fraction of a second. At this point, the girl was exhausted, and Kotetsu decided they could continue her training once her chakra was replenished.

"Tell you what, I'll bring food next time!" Sakura offered.

Well, never let it be said that Kotetsu turned down free food.

"Bring dango. With syrup. And at least 12 sticks."

His student nodded amiably, knowing that a few sticks of dango was a small gift compared to the skills that she was learning in return. And despite what Kotetsu had said, he really had no obligation to teach her anything. He was a high-ranking ninja, at least when compared to her, so his time could probably be put to better use completing other activities, like missions or training. Not to mention, she wasn't from a shinobi clan, so he couldn't be doing this simply to curry favor with a clan head.

"You got it, Kotetsu," Sakura said with a mock solute. "But maybe I should call you Kotetsu-sensei now?"

"If you wish," he replied. "And as your sensei, your homework is to get some rest so you have chakra to practice at your best tomorrow."

-X-

Kakashi slid calmly onto a stool at the counter of the small booth and placed an order for miso ramen with extra pork slices.

He had been on leave for the past few days after a lengthy mission and a short stay in the hospital. He probably wouldn't get a mission for another few days, since he departed from his hospital room as soon as he woke up. The medics, now used to his escape tactics, had come up with a countermeasure: tell the Hokage not to assign him missions.

So it was that he ended up wandering the streets with his beloved book in hand, unsure of what to do now that his usual cycle of mission, training, sleep was broken. He could be improving his taijutsu right now, but his ribs were still aching faintly, and he knew not to push his body in his current state. He briefly entertained the thought of going back to the hospital to get his ribs checked, but then decided against it. Uh, hospitals.

He could also be eating at home right now. Kakashi didn't want to brag, but he was a superb cook. The Sharingan wasn't just handy for copying jutsu- it also allowed him to memorize enough recipes to fill up an entire cookbook. But today, his apartment had felt just a little too lonely, his footsteps echoing just a little too loudly in the silence, so he had left the comfort of his apartment to try out the restaurant that a chūnin had recommended.

A bowl of steaming hot ramen was placed before him, and Kakashi offered a thanks to the cook. He inhaled deeply. The smell was heavenly. He deftly broke apart his chopsticks and dug in. A small genjutsu would shield his face from the nearby civilians. To them, it would seem like he was eating his ramen through the mask. Knowing that nobody in the restaurant would be able to break the illusion, he savored his food instead of wolfing it down like he usually did.

He placed the bowl down gently, satisfied with his decision to eat out. Cheapskate he might be, but life was short, and he could afford to treat himself once in a while.

Leaving a handful of bills and coins on the counter (enough to cover his ramen, plus a generous tip), he wandered out of the store and in the direction of a particular training ground.

As expected, Gai was there, performing handstand push-ups as a part of an outrageously challenging workout that could only be designed by the Green Beast himself.

"My youthful rival!" Gai shouted upon his entrance. "It is a wondrous day indeed when I am in the presence of your hip, cool attitude!"

"Yes. That's great," Kakashi replied without missing a beat. He had gotten to Gai's antics. "But, I am here for a reason other than to grace you with my hip, cool attitude."

"And what might that reason be!?" Gai exclaimed, his teeth flashing brilliantly.

"It is to inform you that I have lost bet #34. I met someone who did read your book, so I came here to concede my defeat."

Gai's eyes were filled with manly tears, and his body was shaking with a tension just waiting to be unleashed.

Kakashi stated what Gai could not say. "So you are now officially in the lead."

"YES!" Gai jumped up, both hands in the air. "My Eternal Rival! How Very Hip and Cool of you to Honestly Admit Your Defeat!"

"Don't mention it, Gai."


End file.
